Wednesday 25 August 2021
Members of the Committee for Economic Development have decided not to pursue the creation by the States of an International University in Guernsey, a project commenced by the previous Committee for Economic Development.
The previous Committee established a University Working Party and commissioned Oxentia, a global innovation consultancy with links to Oxford University that specialises in the higher education sector, to carry out a feasibility study to determine whether developing an International University in Guernsey was feasible and to identify the potential costs and benefits of the project. After careful consideration of the university feasibility report, members of the Committee for Economic Development decided that there was no case to take the project forward.
Although the report identified potential economic benefits the project would also require considerable capital investment from the States of Guernsey, that risk sitting squarely in the lap of the Guernsey taxpayer. The Committee is not in the business of gambling with tax payers' money. The project has not been identified as a priority by the Assembly in the Government Work Plan.
Having carefully considered the report's findings, and in line with the President's recommendation, Members of the Committee for Economic Development unanimously agreed that the University Feasibility Report should be published and the report is now publicly available at Economic Development Policy - States of Guernsey (gov.gg).
Deputy Neil Inder, President of the Committee for Economic Development said,
"The Committee for Economic Development has carefully considered the feasibility report into an International University of Guernsey. However, the Committee has concluded that due to the considerable capital investment that would be required by the States of Guernsey to take this project forward, it is not possible to progress this project at the current time."
