Organised by: In partnership with: Sponsored by:

EMPLOYER ENGAGEMENTTHE COMMONWEALTH CLUB 13 MAY 2009

How far should universities go to meet the needs of employers?

Employer Engagement

History and Geography

• 1843 private sector

• Manufacturing

• Vocational

• Higher education and advanced skills

• Mode 2 knowledge creation

21st Century Employer Engagement

• New models

• Business support networks

• Applied Research

• Work-related T

• Employability

New Models and Facilities

• Institutes

• Specialist facilities

• Wholly-owned subsidiaries courses

applied research

SMEs & business support

• Activity-led learning

• Live projects

• Internships and placements

• Off-site employer CPD programmes

Work-based and work-related curriculum

Employability: The Add+vantage Programme

• Counts towards final degree marks

• Compulsory

• Free choice of module under different strands:

– The Global Graduate

– The Creative Graduate

– The Influential Graduate

• Staff development programme

• Staff appointment, recognition, reward and promotion criteria

• New types of (hybrid) post

• Estates development

• Legal and financial advice

• Getting funding streams right

Addressing the Issues

Thank you for your attention

Organised by: In partnership with: Sponsored by:

Graham HendersonTeesside University

Work Based Learning

Some ‘Lessons so far’ from the NE

Prof Graham HendersonVice Chancellor and Chief

Executive

Providing Opportunity, Promoting Enterprise, Delivering Excellence

18 April 202314

Where did we start….

• Under-qualified/Under-skilled workforce

• low HE participation rates (c.55% Nat. average)

• low demand for higher skills from learners and employers (due to low perception of ‘value added’)

• Limited understanding amongst some employers of what higher skills their businesses need

• Limited recognition of potential contribution of Universities

18 April 202315

Priorities we had to address

• Building external confidence….… by demonstrating responsiveness, high value added & flexibility

(in structure, content, attendance, location, start/finish: ‘roll-on roll-off’, AP(E)L, staged awards, etc)

• Enhancing understanding of ‘the offer’

• Delivering demonstrable ‘bottom line value added’

18 April 202316

Some examples of what are we doing?

Starting to behave like a business! …..• Demonstrating (& celebrating) a ‘can do’,

‘business solutions’ approach

• Spending more time/resource getting to know our markets & how they’re changing

• Developing a more flexible, responsive & ‘business like’ pan-University interface …….. using a ‘hub and spoke’ model:– central coordination/leadership – senior managers in every school– ‘Account Manager Infrastructure’ – University wide CRM

18 April 202317

Focussing on our economic (& social and cultural) contribution• Regional Economic Strategy (RES)

“placed Universities and Colleges at the heart

of the regional economy”

• Now we….“Place the regional economy at the heart of everything we do”

using a X-disciplinary, cluster based approach reflecting Institutional strengths…. & linking to key regional sectors & Workforce Development priorities

18 April 202318

So what are we doing? (cont’d…)

Taking positive action to change the culture & increase ownership/engage’t through e.g.– a LOT of internal comms.

– reflection in mission… …. Business Engagement Strategy (incorp. WfD Strategy) - one of 3 ‘Primary Strategies’

– limited restructuring

– evolving workloading & rewards systems

– accreditation and approval mechanisms

18 April 202319

Governance & Support structures

• Enterprise Committee

• Workforce Development Strategy Group

• Workforce Development and Enterprise Networks

• Enterprise Development Fund• Enterprise Development Programme

(open to all)

• Uni-wide Policies & Practices

18 April 202320

Building Demand

• Enhanced IAG through ‘ONE DOOR’ ‘gateway’ (partnership with local FECs)

• Involving employers at every stage of design delivery and evaluation… which can assist with the ‘funding model’

• Working through intermediaries,...e.g. NECC, ECITB, NEPIC, NPIA, FSB, Cogent, Skillset, Skills for Health,…

• Embracing ‘QA, Brand & Accredit’

18 April 202321

And… what have we learned ?

18 April 202322

Funding• Funding models can be ‘win:win’…. but …

– it’s ‘risky’ & it’s ‘lumpy’ (producing step changes in funding)

– relies on employers being willing to contribute

• Flexibility of funded nos. is critical - need to: either: know ASNs will be available or: have flexibility to strategically

transfer nos. from elsewhere

otherwise need to go for full cost• Grow when opps. arise - can’t always

choose to grow when it suits you

18 April 202323

Need to • want to do it… (it’s NOT compulsory)• find a way of embedding it as a

widely accepted part of ‘what you do’• balance protecting standards with ‘fit

for purpose’ QA processes • know what you are good at before

you’re asked • establish a reputation for ‘delivering’• work through intermediaries

18 April 202324

And…. to be successful your offer MUST…..

• meet a recognised need• be accessible and not overly disruptive• be financially competitive and demonstrate

“bottom line value added”•

For example….. NECC FD in Leadership & Mgmt• Developed in partnership• Employer led content/delivery • NECC oversee recruitment...1st cohort NECC

staff

• Minimal attendance plus…residentials, master classes, in-co. coaching/mentoring & VLE delivery/ support

Organised by: In partnership with: Sponsored by:

James RamsbothamNorth East Chamber of Commerce

James RamsbothamChief Executive

North East Chamber of Commerce

Agenda

• Employer Engagement in FE

• Recruiting a skilled workforce

• Developing a skilled workforce

Employer Engagement in FE

• Start early: 11–16 or 16–19?

• Motivation for engagement

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Employer Engagement in FE

• Start early: 11–16 or 16–19?

• Motivation for engagement

• Esh Group: Fit for Employment

• Business Links and Sector Skills Councils

Recruiting a Skilled Workforce

• Graduate recruiting in recession

• Preparing graduates for employment

• Believing in Progression

Developing a Skilled Workforce

• Lifelong Learning

• Modular Achievement

• Reality of ‘Demand-led’

• Needs or Aspirations?

Organised by: In partnership with: Sponsored by:

Graham LoveQinetiQ and

CBI Higher Education Task Force

Workforce Skills for the 21st Century – an Employer’s

View

Graham LoveCEO QinetiQ GroupMember CBI Higher

Education Task Force

May 2009

36

QinetiQ Group plc

Vision: To be recognised internationally as a leading provider of technology-based services and solutions to customers in defence, security and related markets

• FTSE 250 technology services company supplying defence and adjacent markets

• Home markets in UK, USA, Australia, employing approximately 14,000 scientists, engineers and technicians

• A combined patent portfolio totalling 900+ patent families• Cody Venture Fund formed in 2007 with Coller Capital to exploit non-core

IPR• One of the UK’s leading recruiters of STEM graduates• Extensive STEM Outreach programme; awards include National STEM

Ambassadors awards in April 2009

37

CBI Higher Education Task Force

•Comprises 18 leading businesses and universities from a range of sectors and specialisms

• Objective: to explore what business wants from higher education, how business and universities can best work together and how the sector should be funded

• Report to be published later this summer

38

Business Challenges• Businesses’ key

strategic priorities for the next three years (%)

Source: CBI/Nord Anglia Education & Skills survey 2009

39

Demands of employers• Important

factors considered when recruiting graduates (%)

Source: CBI/Nord Anglia Education & Skills survey 2009

40

High Tech Sector Needs• Proportion of jobs

requiring degree-level skills (%)

Source: CBI/Nord Anglia Education & Skills survey 2009

41

Changes in STEM undergraduates

2000-2006

Source: OFSTED 2006

42

Don’t know 8

Confident 43

Not confident 49

Meeting the needs of the high tech sectorEmployer confidence in their ability to access skilled employees in the future (%)

Source: CBI/Nord Anglia Education & Skills survey 2009

Low-skilled Intermediate-skilled High-skilled

Don’t know 5

Confident 64

Not confident 31

Don’t know 3

Confident 79

Not confident 17

43

Impact of Globalisation• Global markets

• Competition for talent• Competition of ideas• Open Innovation

44

Zephyr Unmanned Air Vehicle

Zephyr – an environmentally-friendly unmanned ultra-lightweight aircraft, designed to fly over long distances at high altitudes powered by solar energy

Defence applications in surveillance & intelligence, earth observation, communications relay

July 2008 - Unofficial world record for longest duration unmanned flight, 82 hrs at 62 kft

45

The Zephyr PartnershipLightweight

carbon structure

Silicon solar cells

Lightweight Payloads

Li-S battery

Propulsion

Aerodynamic design& Wind tunnel testing

Autonomous flight control

Servo chamber

46

Skills for Successful Delivery• Innovation

• Horizon scanning • Technology roadmapping• Technology brokerage • Technology supply chain management• International management• Intellectual property management• Systems integration• Project management

47

Tomorrow’s Workforce• Over 70% of tomorrow’s workforce is already in the labour

market, requiring re-fresh of skills and knowledge over their career lifetime

• Demographics and national economics will necessitate that tomorrow’s workforce stays in employment for longer

• Globalisation will result in tomorrow’s workforce having greater international interchange

• Technology advances will drive new business models and ways of working for tomorrow’s workforce

• Higher Education has a vital role to play in equipping the workforce of UK industry to meet tomorrow’s challenges

48