Employer- HE Engagement: Influence through Collaboration Helen Connor The Council for Industry and Higher Education 16 June 2009.

Employer- HE Engagement: Influence through Collaboration

Helen ConnorThe Council for Industry and Higher Education

16 June 2009

2

Range of terms

• Employer engagement

• Employability

• Employer responsive provision

3

Employer engagement can take different forms

• Major new ventures involving employers (eg new foundation degrees, customised MSc)

• Adapting or enhancing existing provision (eg work-related modules, placements)

• Short bespoke courses, workshops (mainly unaccredited)

• Assessment or accreditation of in-company learning

• Access programmes, higher apprenticeships (employee progression to HE)

4

In different partnership models

• Direct HE – employer

• HE network

• HE – Employer consortium

• Sub-contracted

• Mediated or brokered

5

Driven by many factors

• Demographic changes

• Lambert and Leitch Reviews

• HEFCE employer engagement and workforce development strategies

• Impact of recession - Graduate Talent Pool, HECIF

• The new D BIS

6

What now for Leitch and HE strategy?

• Leitch’s World Class Goals : skills vital to UK prosperity

• UK existing skill levels too low (benchmark international)

• Ambitious targets for 2020 : 40% at Level 4 and above70% of 2020 workforce already in

employment5.5m more adults

7

Influence through collaboration

Employer/ employee needs and wants

High quality provision

speedy response (can do approach)

meeting the business need/ tailored

learning/relevanceaccreditation

Employer/ employee needs and wants

Employer/employee needs and wants

flexibility• location of learning• mode of study• modules, full awards• assessment

Employer/ employee needs and wants

High quality provision

speedy response (can do approach)

meeting the business need/ relevance and its transfer to

work

accreditation

APEL knowledge exchange

Employer/ employee needs and wants

Employer/employee needs and wants

point of contact with the HEI

graduate employability skills

influencing the curriculum

flexibility• location of learning• mode of study• modules, full awards• assessment

A healthy pipeline of talent

Interesting, enjoyable learning

10

Factors impacting on employer engagement

• Defining and focusing engagement

• Developing and sustaining partnerships

• Supporting engagement

11

12

Enhancing HE-Employer engagement

• Getting a strategic fit – Why are we doing this? What kind of activity would suit us? And meet a real need?

• Finding partners and establishing the relationship – Can we work with them? how can we collaborate rather than compete with partners?

• Designing and delivering an appropriate learning package – at the right level? style of learning? attractive to students? can it be accredited? etc

• Developing, sustaining and leading the partnership– Have we the right people in place to see it through? Is their leadership within? Will we

get evidence of impact? How contribute to other HEI activities

• Supporting and facilitating effective engagement– Do our staff have the ability and capacity to delver this? do we value and support them?

how will we fund this in long term? And embed within this institution?

13

The missions of Higher EducationTeaching First mission/stream

ResearchSecond mission/stream

Business and community engagementThird mission/stream

14

Recognising interconnectedness and centrality of employer

engagement

15

Some conclusions • Diversity and granularity – not a one size fit

• Universities need to play to strengths

• Mainstream not third-stream

• An investment not a quick sale – long term relationships

• Emphasis on - collaboration, mutual understanding and benefit , and trust

16

The Council for Industry and Higher Education

[email protected]