EMPLOYER ENGAGEMENT THE COMMONWEALTH CLUB 13 MAY 2009

EMPLOYER ENGAGEMENT THE COMMONWEALTH CLUB 13 MAY 2009 How far should universities go to meet the needs of employers? Organised by: In partnership with: Sponsored by:

Employer Engagement

History and Geography • 1843 private sector • Manufacturing • Vocational • Higher education and advanced skills • Mode 2 knowledge creation

21 st 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

Work-based and work-related curriculum • Activity-led learning • Live projects • Internships and placements • Off-site employer CPD programmes

Employability: The Add+vantage Programme • Counts towards final degree marks • Compulsory • Free choice of module under different strands: – – The Global Graduate – The Influential Graduate The Creative Graduate

Addressing the Issues • 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

Thank you for your attention

Graham Henderson Teesside University Organised by: In partnership with: Sponsored by:

Work Based Learning Some ‘Lessons so far’ from the NE Prof Graham Henderson Vice Chancellor and Chief Executive Providing Opportunity, Promoting Enterprise, Delivering Excellence

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 14 15 March 2018

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 15 15 March 2018

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’ 16 – University wide CRM 15 March 2018

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 17 strengths…. & linking to key regional 15 March 2018

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. Wf. D Strategy) - one of 3 ‘Primary Strategies’ – limited restructuring – evolving workloading & rewards systems – accreditation and approval 18 15 March 2018

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 19 15 March 2018

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, … 20 15 March 2018

And… what have we learned ? 21 15 March 2018

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 22 go for full cost 15 March 2018

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 23 15 March 2018

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. . . 1 st cohort NECC staff 24 • Minimal attendance plus…residentials, 15 March 2018

James Ramsbotham North East Chamber of Commerce Organised by: In partnership with: Sponsored by:

James Ramsbotham Chief 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

Factors motivating engagement Providers

% of employers Factors motivating engagement Employers 40% 35% 30% 25% 20% 15% 10% 5% 0% Social Attracting Training the responsibility potential recruits Raise future awareness of workforce sector / business PR Other No response

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?

Graham Love Qineti. Q and CBI Higher Education Task Force Organised by: In partnership with: Sponsored by:

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

Qineti. Q 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 36

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 37

Business Challenges • Businesses’ key strategic priorities for the next three years (%) Source: CBI/Nord Anglia Education & Skills survey 2009 38

Demands of employers • Important factors considered when recruiting graduates (%) Source: CBI/Nord Anglia Education & Skills survey 2009 39

High Tech Sector Needs • Proportion of jobs requiring degree-level skills (%) Source: CBI/Nord Anglia Education & Skills survey 2009 40

Changes in STEM undergraduates 20002006 Source: OFSTED 2006 41

Meeting the needs of the high tech sector Employer confidence in their ability to access skilled employees in the future (%) Low-skilled Intermediate-skilled Don’t know 3 Don’t know 5 Not confident 17 High-skilled Don’t know 8 Not confident 31 Not confident 49 Confident 43 Confident 64 Confident 79 Source: CBI/Nord Anglia Education & Skills survey 2009 42

Impact of Globalisation • • Global markets Competition for talent Competition of ideas Open Innovation 43

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 44

The Zephyr Partnership Lightweight carbon structure Aerodynamic design & Wind tunnel testing Propulsion Servo chamber Autonomous flight control Silicon solar cells Lightweight Payloads Li-S battery 45

• • • Skills for Successful Delivery Innovation Horizon scanning Technology roadmapping Technology brokerage Technology supply chain management International management Intellectual property management Systems integration Project management 46

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 47

48