To show its support CIHE have contributed to a letter sent to the Sunday Times in support of the UK’s universities.

The letter said:

“While the new Government develops its Emergency Budget, it is essential that we recognise the vital role that universities play in our economy. In the global knowledge economy we can best secure our future by safeguarding the institutions that generate that knowledge. That feeds new technologies, new products, new services and the breakthroughs that will ensure our competitive future.

Universities generate £59 billion for the UK economy annually, including £32.4 billion created in other sectors through knock-on impact, making them larger than either the pharmaceutical or air transport industries. Our universities are world leading, and we have an extraordinary record of scientific discovery.

The business base in the UK relies on our universities for their skilled workforce and we are increasingly seeing universities provide invaluable consultancy and research support for businesses in their local area. Our businesses increasingly recruit talent worldwide and have a global approach to investing in research and development. Universities in the UK have much to offer — world-class research, access to the best talent and links with business on research. This is at the heart of both this Government’s and the public’s agenda.”

The letter was signed by a number of CIHE members including:

• Dr David Docherty, Chief Executive, Council for Industry and Higher Education
• Sir Martin Sorrell, Chief Executive, WPP Group
• Sir Philip Hampton, Chairman, RBS Group
• Sam Laidlaw, Chief Executive, Centrica
• Ian Powell Chairman, PwC
• John Griffith-Jones, UK Chairman KPMG LLP
• Sir John Parker, Chancellor, University of Southampton
• Tracy Clarke, Group Head of Human Resources, Standard Chartered Bank
• Simon Bradley, Vice President, EADS Innovation
• William Archer, Director, i-graduate

CIHE will be featuring a number of stories during the week related to Universities Week and also ‘tweeting’ our support here.

The full letter published in the Sunday Times can be found as a pdf here and on the website here. For and for more information about Universities Week please see here.

The report, sponsored by Research Councils UK, investigates the nature, scale and contribution of university research to company innovation processes. It focuses on how university and business can work together to co-create solutions to the challenges we face today. To get the most out of university-business collaboration, the report found a company’s ability to acquire and absorb research was critical to the success of effective knowledge exchange.

In the report, CIHE make a number of wide-ranging recommendations to Research Councils UK and other agencies about how they can better support university-business research collaboration. CIHE calls for the use of financial levers to change behaviour ensuring both sides of collaborations better understand each other. Further recommendations include ensuring commercial skills are built into career progression programmes for young researchers, enabling them to work more effectively with companies.

Dr David Docherty, Chief Executive of CIHE said:
“Companies and universities need a shared understanding of how research can contribute to economic growth. Businesses recognise that university researchers can generate novel ideas and think at ‘right angles’ to their own R&D staff. University research has a distinctive contribution to make in creating value through supporting company innovation processes.”

The report ‘Absorbing research: The role of university research in business and market innovation’ is based on the findings from 22 case study companies and can be found here or by emailing lucy.bartram@cihe.co.uk

The review which was commissioned by Lord Mandelson in July 2009 was carried out by Professor Adrian Smith (Director General of Science and Research in the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills) and five senior figures from the worlds of higher education and business.

David Docherty, Chief Executive of the Council for Industry and Higher Education and an advisor to the review said:

“We know that postgraduates are important drivers of innovation, entrepreneurship and growth and that many employers value postgraduate level skills. However, HEIs and businesses could do more to work together to ensure postgraduates have the business-facing skills that employers need – particularly leadership skills and work experience.”

The review draws on a number of the Council for Industry and Higher Education’s research reports including its most recent, ‘Talent Fishing: What Businesses Want from Postgraduates’ launched last week. ‘Talent fishing’ consulted with 56 businesses – many of them global recruiters and explores the extent and nature of demand for postgraduates from businesses and found that there is a high level of demand for, and satisfaction with higher degrees.

The recommendations in the postgraduate review, ‘One Step Beyond’, highlight the need to do more to ensure postgraduate education in the UK remains internationally competitive and are addressed to the UK Government, Higher Education Institutions (HEIs), funding bodies and other stakeholders. The report proposes how postgraduate provision can be made more responsive to the needs of employers, and how it can prepare postgraduates to succeed in a range of careers. It also draws attention to the need for improved data about the social background of postgraduates and the benefits of postgraduate study.

The senior advisors to the review, in addition to David, included: Dr Tim Bradshaw, Head of Science, Technology and Innovation at the CBI; Professor Keith Burnett, Vice Chancellor of the University of Sheffield; Professor Wendy Purcell, Vice Chancellor of the University of Plymouth; and Professor Sarah Worthington, Pro Director for Research and External Relations at the London School of Economics.

The full review, One Step Beyond: Making the most of postgraduate education, can be found on the BIS website.

The CIHE today releases ‘Talent Fishing’, a report that explores the extent and nature of demand for postgraduates from businesses. The report is based on detailed consultations with senior managers and HR directors in 56 businesses – many of them global recruiters – and indicates there is a high level of demand for, and satisfaction with higher degrees.

It also identifies a number of areas where Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) and businesses must work together to improve the wider skills of postgraduates, particularly around leadership and work experience. The report suggests that there are significant issues around communicating the value of postgraduate degrees to some employers.

Click the link below to download the full report:

Talent Fishing: What Businesses Want from Postgraduates

Visit our Knowledge Bank to read more CIHE Publications

The article in full below, can also be found online at the University World News website: www.universityworldnews.com

UK: Interaction between universities and businesses

Leah Germain
21 March 2010

An organisation that aims to create synergy between higher education institutions and businesses has released the final report in a series of three that addresses the importance of companies using universities to aid Britain’s fragile economic recovery.

The Council for Industry and Higher Education, a UK-based leader in bridging business networks with executives from the education sector, said encouraging employers to use higher education not only improved their own workers’ skills but contributed to the success of the entire country’s workforce.

The results of a Strategies for Effective HE-Employer Engagement report were drawn from interviews conducted within 10 different English institutes for higher education. The council summarised in the report that the institutions were able to raise student numbers and revenue by working with employers to generate higher-level skills for their workforce.

The findings indicate that developing personal relationships between academics and employers are essential in this process.

Since its launch in 1986, the council has continually strived to create links between businesses and universities to create a partnership that will contribute to a stronger market and promote social values.

“The CIHE is a strategic leadership organisation drawing on the skills and experience of senior business and academic leaders to work with the broader community on issues of major importance, and looking to create spaces for collaboration and experimentation, and to promote and disseminate best practice,” said Chief Executive David Docherty

Although the council’s current focus is the UK, the organisation plans to expand globally in the future, Docherty said.

“The CIHE has a strong relationship with its sister organisations in the US and in Japan, but would welcome thoughts and ideas from the global [higher education] community on how best to bring businesses and universities together to create economic and social value.”

 

We will fail to attract people to science careers unless we can address the ‘why me?’ question and get people to really believe it could and should be them, says a report from the Science for Careers Expert Group, one of the five expert groups arising from the BIS Science and Society Consultation.

The report identifies that there is not enough careers information available on opportunities in SMEs, or scientists working in every day settings or in the emerging technological sectors. The report calls for all careers information, outreach and communications programmes to ensure that they embrace scientists of all types and at all levels.

For more information please contact Diana Garnham at the Science Council on 0207 922 7884 or 07768 055853 or email d.garnham@sciencecouncil.org

The report can be downloaded from the BIS website.

Science for Careers: report of the Expert Group

Previous CIHE research on the demand for STEM skills can be found on the CIHE website. The CIHE is also working with a range of national career IAG stakeholders to establish a UK Careers Sector Strategic Forum to develop a national career IAG framework.

The Demand for STEM Graduates and Postgraduates

The Demand for STEM Graduates: some benchmark projections

The report compiled for the South West Higher Level Skills Pathfinder Project found that employer engagement is also about the wider community and social contribution of the HE sector, not just about meeting the skills needs of employers.

But HEIs needed to become more ‘business like’ in how they costed and resourced employer engagement activity to ensure their competitiveness and the long term viability of this activity. Greater flexibility in planning, staffing and financial systems is required.

Helen Connor, Associate Director at CIHE and co-author of the report, remarked that “a strategic approach by HEIs involved more than just tailoring courses for people already in work. All are greatly strengthening the work experience and employability of their students, and working closely with employers to achieve this.”

The report also highlights the importance of senior level support from university and business leaders and involving academics as a central ingredient for successful employer engagement.

The full report can be downloaded here.

Strategies for Effective HE-Employer Engagement

Keith said, “The knowledge economy of the 21st century is very much a ‘race to the top’, in which we also look to UK universities to work in partnership with the business sector to co-create solutions to the grand challenges that face us.

The convergence of manufacturing and services means that we need not only more highly educated people but also more with, for example, experience and knowledge in systems integration, project management and customer facing skills.

We need more with science and business, maths and economics, social anthropology and marketing, art, design and media. The future will also require enterprise and innovation to be wired into our graduates.

We must rethink the capabilities we need and work with educational providers on these. This is the challenge for Rebuilding Britain.”

You can download Keith’s speech and presentation slides here.

Valuing Uni-Bus Collaboration EU Slides

Keith Herrmann Speech EU Commission Brno 020210

A position has become available to support the CIHE in establishing a Task Force on the Digital and Creative Industries to look at “what the role of higher education institutions should be in building world-leading digital and creative industries in the UK, and how can they work most effectively with industry in support of this aim?”. The CIHE is a strategic network of senior business leaders and Vice Chancellors focused on creating a higher education system that delivers greater competitiveness and a better society.

This role offers a range of duties and responsibilities:
•    Assist in the development of written materials including policy position papers, regular updates, and press releases.
•    Analyse and present summaries of current and proposed UK and global policies and regulation affecting the digital and creative industries.
•    Working with CIHE members and other relevant parties to identify emerging issues and trends affecting the creative and digital industries.
•    Provide regular web and blog updates on the Task Force deliberations.
•    Perform other related duties as assigned – including organising and recording all Task Force meetings and supporting the surrounding network of experts working with the Task Force.

You will need to have an excellent command of English. The ideal candidate will have strong analytical and writing skills. Project management experience and excellent organisational skills are a key requirement. Policy experience with a think tank or similar organisation is preferable but not essential. We will also consider candidates available as a secondment, and already working in a think tank, university department or similar.

Good IT skills is required, including the ability to use Microsoft Office – word processing (MS-Word), Powerpoint and spreadsheets (Excel), and experience with web-management is preferable, but not essential.

He or she must be able to work as part of a small team with enthusiasm and have a willingness to undertake a great variety of tasks.

Salary: £20,000, one year contract renewable

Closes: The deadline for applications closes on 5th February 2010. Successful candidates will be invited for interview. An appointment will be made before the end of February, with a start date as soon as possible after appointment.

Contact: To apply please send a CV and cover letter to Stephanie Scott-Davies at cihe@cihe.co.uk

We are seeking your help to get better evidence on the wider demand for STEM-qualified graduates, including in new areas of work. We are also undertaking research among STEM students and graduates on their career decision-making in a parallel study.

We know that employers continue to experience recruitment problems despite an increase in STEM graduate supply in recent years; and many employers perceive shortages relating to STEM skills, either in specific STEM subjects or broader competencies or lack of practical work experience. But we don’t know enough about the wider demand for STEM skills.

Commissioned by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) to help inform future Government policy, CIHE is working with CRAC to research these issues.