Widening Participation through Employer Engagement: The role and contribution of higher education to workforce development

Iain NixonConsultant

Focus

• What is driving the employer engagement and workforce development agenda in HE?

• What is happening in practice?• What are the key issues and challenges in

delivering on this agenda?• What needs to be considered in moving

forward?

Workforce development

• Learning which accredits or extends the workplace skills and abilities of employees

– Provision delivered by HE (incl. HE in FE)• Level 4 and above

– Fds

– UG and PG programmes

– Short courses (accredited/non-accredited)

– Provision part of the HE sector’s initial/continuing professional development offer

Typology of workforce development

Investing in learningto improvepersonal

performance insecuring new work

Investing in learningto improve personal

and professionalperformance inexisting work/organisation

Investing in learningto improve theorganisation’sperformance

and competitiveness

Investing in learningto bring knowledge

and skills intothe organisation

Formal relationship(employed)

Informal relationship(not employed)

Organisation driven

Individual driven

Provider identifies needs Employers and learners identify needs

Develops generic knowledge and skills

Develops technical knowledge and skills

Creates new knowledge Transfers existing knowledge

Work focused Work relevant

Fixed schedule of delivery Flexible schedule of delivery

Learning in the work place Learning away from the work place

Support is programme centred Support is learner centred

Learner support provided by provider Learner support is provided by the employer

Wholly recognised by professional body

No element recognised by professional body

Assessment focuses on knowledge Assessment focuses on skills

Provider undertakes assessment Employer and/or learner undertakes assessment

Wholly accredited by provider No element accredited

Evaluate quality of learning experience

Evaluate impact on learner development and organisation

What is driving the workforce development agenda in HE?

Our Futures

Raising UK productivity and competitiveness to create a sustainable economy by 2020

• Rapid demographic change– There will be a ‘greying’ workforce who are least likely to

train– The number of 17-18 year olds will have decreased

significantly

• Global economic integration– China and India will be much more important than the

UK

• Pressure on resources and global climate– US and EU (10% of world population, 38% of CO2

emissions)

• Global uncertainty– “Poverty, environmental degradation & despair are

destroyers of people, societies, nations…” (Powell)

The 2020 test

The 2020 test• Increasing the number of employees attaining higher

level skills– 40% of the working age population qualified to Level 4– 66% growth over period

• Encouraging higher value added activity in businesses– Create and apply new knowledge in the workplace

• Enabling innovation, enterprise and creativity– Technological changes, market responses

The 2020 test• The HE system will be much larger and diversity in

providers and their missions will prevail

• Provision in HE and how it is funded will have changed dramatically– Reduced reliance on public funding– Greater levels of employer contributions

• There will be a broader social mix of people studying HE, many of whom are (already) in work

Strategic drivers

• Leitch Review of Skills– Rapid demographic change, global economic integration– High skills workforce, demand-led provision

• HEFCE Employer Engagement Strategy– Funded initiatives

• LLNs, HLS pathfinders, employer engagement pilots, FL pathfinders

• Focus on work-based learning, enterprise and employability

• Grant letter to HEFCE (2007)– Employer engagement

• Growth strategy, at least 5,000 additional entrants year on year• Employer demand-led funding• Close working with LSC

What is happening in practice?

National dimension

• £285m from non-credit bearing CPD activity• 2% of employer market

• Extensive part-time provision (UG and PG)• Short bespoke courses:

• On campus (88% of HEIs)• At company premises (80% of HEIs)

• Distance learning for business (66% of HEIs)

HE-BCIS Survey 2003-04 (July 2006)

Regional and sectoral dimension

• Regional dimension• RSPs and RSAPs emphasise higher level skills• Increased involvement of RDAs in agreeing funding

priorities, e.g. HEIF• LLNs focusing on vocational pathways and progression• HLSPs operating in three regions (NE, NW and SW)

• Sectoral dimension• SSCs are establishing Skills Agreements

– Skills Academies

What are the key issues and challenges?

In true Family Fortunes style we asked the DfES, HEFCE, SSDA, employers, academics and learners

what the ‘critical issues of today’ were for HEIs in supporting workforce development.

Our survey said…

X X

OUR SURVEY SAID…•Overcoming the language barrier•Raising demand or expanding provision•Encouraging good pedagogic practice•Engaging effectively with employers•Transforming accreditation and quality assurance•Meeting the costs of design and delivery

What needs to be considered?

Teaching Research

Academic

Societal

Widening participation/accessSector skillsGraduate employabilityHigher Education targetsProfessional QualificationsLifelong learningWorkforce developmentFoundation degrees

Economic growth

Business competitiveness

Knowledge transfer

IP exploitation/spinout companies

Regional development and regeneration

Graduates

Postgraduates

Higher Education targets

Learning programmes

Intellectual capital

Academic research

International research base

Discipline advancement

New knowledge

World class knowledge base

Dr M. Wedgwood, Manchester Metropolitan University

Institutionaltrajectories

Work of the Academy

• Policy development– Working with DfES, HEFCE, QAA etc.

• Shaping institutional strategic intent– Facilitating a PVCs and pedagogic special interest group– Supporting the HLSPs

• Supporting Subject Centres– Funding six development projects involving SSCs and HEIs

• Engaging in more research– Facilitating a researchers community of practice– Co-ordinate and fund a programme of research

References

Work-based learning: illuminating the higher education landscapeHigher Education Academywww.heacademy.ac.uk/research/WBL.pdf

Workplace learning in the North EastHigher Education Funding Council for Englandwww.hefce.ac.uk/pubs/rdreports/2006/rd12_06/