Tackling the growing Neets crisis will be easier for the universities of Kent and Greenwich following their merger into the UK’s first “super-university”, according to the group’s leadership.
Known as the London and South East University Group (LASE), the institution is now the third largest in the UK, accommodating more than 50,000 students across four campuses in London, Medway and Kent.
The chief executive said the merged institutions are “much stronger” together as the higher education sector faces ongoing financial strains.
University of Greenwich vice-chancellor and chief executive of LASE Professor Jane Harrington said the move enables the group to meet regional needs in ways they could not independently.
“If I was to look through south-east London going out we’ve got areas of urban deprivation, then you go out into Medway and Kent you’ve got areas of rural deprivation and then we’ve got areas of coastal deprivation,” she said ahead of LASE’s official launch on Monday.
“It’s a real opportunity for us to address the very people that the government’s worried about.
“Everyone probably now is starting to be familiar with the term Neets – basically people who are not in employment, education, or training – and it’s those very young people that we can now actually really start to look at what skills do they need?
“How can we upskill them? How can we reskill them? How can we go out and actually attract them and work with our FE (further education) colleges so that they’ve got pathways that are accessible to them in ways we just couldn’t do on our own.”
Between April and June, an estimated 981,000 young people aged 16 to 24 were classified as Neets. While down 30,000 on the previous quarter, the figure remains 30,000 higher than a year ago, according to the Office for National Statistics.
Prof Harrington said the merger has also reinforced the universities’ financial positions. It comes amid escalating financial pressures across the UK sector, with MPs on the Education Committee warning earlier this year of a “real risk” an English university could close due to insolvency for the first time.
The Office for Students, the higher education regulator in England, cautioned the committee that 24 providers risked insolvency and closure in the 12 months from last November, warning 45 per cent of higher education providers could face deficits for 2025/26.
Prof Harrington said: “International students are more difficult to bring into the UK; the cost of living’s gone up constantly; we’ve got more costs within the university; student fees after 12 years are now in a position where they can increase slightly but we don’t know what will happen after two years; and then we’re going to have an international levy imposed on us.
“So if you combine all of that, there isn’t a university in this country that doesn’t have to really look at their costs.”
Institutions are bracing for the international student levy, which will charge them £925 per student annually from 2028-29.
“We are much stronger now we’re together,” Prof Harrington added.
“It doesn’t mean we’re immune to the changes; we’re not, but I do believe we’ll be able to get ourselves in a much stronger, firmer position more quickly.”
LASE is drafting a lessons learned “blueprint” for the Department for Education to serve as a “model” group structure for other institutions. Prof Harrington admitted the undertaking was “not for the faint-hearted” but insisted it was worthwhile.
Following their legal merger last month, Kent and Greenwich universities will operate as distinct academic divisions under their current names, with students continuing to apply to and graduate from their chosen institution.
However, the unified structure allows the group to offer subjects previously unavailable to them individually, alongside shared access to campus libraries and wellbeing services.
In May, King’s College London and Cranfield University, based in Bedford, announced plans to merge in August 2027.
