HESA consults on its services for UK higher education

HESA has launched a consultation on the UK-wide services it offers to higher education providers, and the impact of becoming the Designated Data Body in England.

The consultation outlines the services that HESA expects to provide to HE providers throughout the UK to meet their regulatory and statutory information requirements, and seeks feedback on the non-statutory services that are valued by HE providers and data users. HE providers are being asked to complete the consultation survey to help ensure that HESA offers the right mix of data collection, dissemination and support services in the future.

Regulation of Higher Education in the UK is changing, with evolving data requirements in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales and the Higher Education & Research Act 2017 (HERA) in England. Some of the data that HESA currently collects may no longer be required by regulators and funders, so the consultation will assess the appetite of HE providers to submit data voluntarily where this provides value to the sector.

HESA is committed to releasing ever more information as open data for anyone to access, while protecting the individual privacy of students and HE staff. Where more detailed data is needed for specific research HESA currently provides tailored datasets under licence. The consultation will seek the views of HE providers about how HESA should share information for academic, regulatory, charitable, personal and commercial research.

HESA is an independent and co-regulated body, owned by the sector. It provides the technology and expertise to collect, assure, integrate, and disseminate data for regulators, funders and other stakeholders. It does this in a way that seeks to minimise the burden of data collection on all parties. Today’s consultation asks HE providers to give their feedback on the value of the support they receive and the activities that HESA should be pursuing to help the sector.

Paul Clark, Chief Executive of HESA, said:

“This consultation offers an opportunity for providers to comment on and help shape HESA’s services. I would encourage as many as possible to take this opportunity, so we can ensure that we are continuing to meet the data needs of the sector, now and in the future.”

The consultation is open until 23:59 on 3 May*. HESA is asking for an official response from each higher education provider, but the consultation is open to anyone with an interest in the future of higher education data and information.

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Notes

• Further information and a link to the consultation survey can be found at  www.hesa.ac.uk/about/consultation.
• *This article was updated on 18 April when the consultation deadline was extended from 29 April to 3 May.