Regulation is the Floor, Not the Ceiling
Inspired by the keynote delivered by Professor Sarah Williams, Pro Vice-Chancellor (External Collaborations), Buckinghamshire New University, at the QAA Connect Annual Conference 2026.
This simple statement captured one of the most important messages of the conference. Regulation should never be viewed as the destination; it is the foundation upon which institutions build trust, quality, innovation and sustainable partnerships. Compliance establishes the minimum standard expected of every provider. Excellence begins where compliance ends.
Attending the QAA Connect Annual Conference 2026 gave me the opportunity to step away from the day-to-day work of partnerships and reflect on what successful collaborative provision really requires. The strongest message I brought back was that regulation should never be treated as the final destination. It establishes the minimum foundation on which institutions must stand, but partnership excellence is built above that foundation through trust, evidence, good governance and shared responsibility. Compliance matters, but it should give institutions the confidence to improve, innovate and build stronger opportunities for students rather than becoming a routine exercise focused mainly on documentation. One conference analogy stayed with me: “Teach the student you will never meet.” In collaborative and franchise provision, many students may never visit the awarding institution, meet its central teams or study on its main campus. Yet the qualification they receive carries that institution’s name, and their experience becomes part of its reputation.
For me, this is the human responsibility at the heart of every partnership. Whether our work relates to teaching, attendance, facilities, student support, operations, data or governance, the decisions we make ultimately reach a learner who has trusted the institutions involved to provide a meaningful and high-quality educational experience. This learning closely reflects my own approach as Head of Partnerships and Operations at Magna Carta College. As MCC continues to strengthen its UK and international relationships, my focus will remain on partnerships that are purposeful, operationally realistic and capable of creating lasting value. The success of a partnership should not be judged simply by the signing of an agreement or the number of students recruited. It should be seen in the quality of the student experience, the strength of the relationship between the institutions and the outcomes achieved by learners.
That is the learning I will carry forward: regulation provides the floor, but trust, shared responsibility and continuous improvement determine how high we are prepared to build.
Rizwan Niazi
Department of External Collaburations
