Over the past few years, the Charities Pensions Club has brought together pensions professionals from across the charity sector to share insight, discuss common challenges, and learn from peers facing similar issues.
Through our recent conversations with universities and higher education institutions, it has become increasingly clear that many organisations are navigating comparable pension-related challenges — particularly in relation to defined benefit (DB) arrangements, governance, funding pressures, risk management, and member communications.
As a result, we are exploring the development of an Education Pensions Club: a dedicated peer network for professionals responsible for pensions within the higher education sector.
The aim would be to create a practical and collaborative forum where universities and education institutions can:
Share experiences and market practice
Discuss emerging pension issues and regulatory developments
Learn from sector peers and specialist advisers
Access relevant webinars, roundtables, and insight
Build connections with others facing similar challenges
As part of this process, we are currently gathering feedback from the sector, including through an upcoming BUFDG webinar focused on self-administered DB pension schemes. Through the webinar and wider discussion, we hope to build on the collaborative values and peer-to-peer insight that have developed between members at the Charities Pensions Club, demonstrating the benefits of shared learning and networking between institutions facing similar pension challenges.
At this stage, we are keen to understand whether there is sufficient appetite for a dedicated Education Pensions Club and what topics and formats would be most valuable to participants.
If you would like to contribute your views or hear more about the initiative, we would be delighted to hear from you. Contact us here.
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