Andy Westwood

Skills, Productivity and Regional Inequality: why a ‘one size fits all’ approach can’t work

By Andy Westwood Filed Under: British Politics, Devo, Growth and Inclusion, Inclusive Growth, Levelling up, OnProductivity, UK economy Posted: December 7, 2022

Skills are important contributors to the improvement of productivity. With new skills, there are associated higher wages and better living standards. However, implementing a better agenda for skill improvement in policy can prove extremely challenging. There are several layers of skills and their applications that need to be considered at different levels of distribution. Professor […]

Augar and higher education in Greater Manchester

By Andy Westwood Filed Under: All posts, British Politics Posted: June 13, 2019

In this blog, Andy Westwood, Vice Dean for Social Responsibility in the Faculty of Humanities and Professor of Government Practice looks at what the recommendations within the Augar Review could mean for Greater Manchester. Many news headlines on the recent Augar Review focused on tuition fee cuts and extended repayment terms. But alongside those recommendations […]

The Toughest Job in Science?

By Andy Westwood Filed Under: All posts, British Politics, Budget 2017 Posted: November 20, 2017

Professor Andy Westwood is Vice Dean for Social Responsibility in the Faculty of Humanities and Professor of Government Practice at The University of Manchester. Here he blogs on this morning’s announcement from Government of additional R&D funding in 2021/22, science policy and the important role the Government’s new Chief Scientific Adviser has to play. For […]

Industrial Strategy and skills: getting it right this time?

By Andy Westwood Filed Under: British Politics Posted: July 10, 2017

The independent Industrial Strategy Commission has today issued its emerging findings (.pdf). Commissioner Professor Andy Westwood describes why ambition alone won’t be enough for its proposed skills reforms. The Industrial Strategy’s technical education proposals will be the 29th major reform of skills since the 1980s This reflects a long-term UK weaknesses in skills – especially technical […]

Budget Hack Video: The devil’s in the detail – Andy Westwood

By Andy Westwood Filed Under: Budget Hack Posted: March 8, 2017

Policy@Manchester Co-Director Professor Andy Westwood finishes off our Budget Hack talks with his reflections on the Budget as presented, and the detective work still to come now the numbers are published: https://t.co/oTBIFFbmZC — Policy@Manchester (@UoMPolicy) March 8, 2017

Time for some low key fireworks?

By Andy Westwood Filed Under: All posts, Brexit, British Politics Posted: March 7, 2017

Ahead of the first Budget under May’s government, and the first since the Brexit vote, Policy@Manchester Co-Director Professor Andy Westwood sets the scene and shares his predictions on the Chancellor’s approach to the year’s spending priorities. We need some action from the Budget, even if the fireworks are likely to be more low key this […]

Plan A + Plan B = Industrial Strategy?

By Andy Westwood Filed Under: All posts, British Politics Posted: January 24, 2017

The cornerstone of Theresa May’s economic vision for the country, the government’s Industrial Strategy was launched this week. Policy@manchester Co-Director Professor Andy Westwood assesses the size of the challenge, the scale of the strategy’s commitments, and places the strategy in the historical context of recent government efforts to achieve the same ends. Industrial Strategy […]

Hammond turns to science (…and mayors must follow)

By Andy Westwood Filed Under: All posts, Devo, Inclusive Growth, Urban Posted: November 29, 2016

There may or may not be a plan for Brexit, but after the Autumn Statement last week, there is now at least a plan for mitigating it. In summary, it is based on abandoning George Osborne’s fiscal targets and borrowing significant amounts in order to fund infrastructure and to finance a new industrial strategy. Taken […]

Success as a Knowledge Economy? It’s Complicated

By Andy Westwood Filed Under: All posts, Whitehall Watch Posted: May 18, 2016

The Government announced its higher education reform plans this week, publishing a white paper ‘Success as a Knowledge Economy’. But will it really deliver a better deal for students and is it making an already complex system even more so, asks Andy Westwood? Let’s begin with the title. Every part of it is contested in […]

Don’t panic! Hancock’s Half Hour and the anti-advocacy clause

By Andy Westwood Filed Under: All posts Posted: March 10, 2016

An amendment to charities’ freedom in how they use Government grants has set many hares running in higher education. But, asks Andy Westwood, what does it mean and do we need to panic? Hancock’s half hour Matthew Hancock, the Cabinet Office minister has introduced a new ‘anti advocacy’ clause to be inserted into all new […]