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 manufacturing and engineering to look at the ways in which “business and universities can combine to grow the manufacturing and engineering base of the UK?” 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

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.

The Engineering and Manufacturing Task Force will be co-chaired by Richard Greenhalgh, former Chair of Unilever UK and current Chair of the CIHE, and Professor Nigel Thrift, Vice Chancellor of the University of Warwick. The Digital and Creative Industries Task Force will be co-chaired by Rona Fairhead, Chair and CEO of the Financial Times Group, and Professor Christopher Snowden, Vice Chancellor of the University of Surrey.

The names of the Task Force participants will follow early in the New Year.

Dr David Docherty, CEO of the CIHE, said: ‘The shared insights generated by the Task Forces will improve the ways in which students are better prepared for the world of work, and ensure that business and university research collaborations more clearly focus on the UK’s need for global competitiveness and a better society. Sector by sector, the Task Forces will take an international perspective and look for best practice at home and abroad, and will develop creative and collaborative solutions to the global challenges we face.’

The CIHE would also like to acknowledge the support and participation of HEFCE, UUK, the CBI and the Royal Academy of Engineering.

Notes for Editors

CIHE

The Council for Industry and Higher Education (CIHE) is a strategic leadership network of senior business leaders and Vice Chancellors working together to enhance economic competitiveness and social cohesion.

The CIHE’s strategic leadership network will focus specifically on where businesses and universities can combine to help resolve some of the most intractable challenges we face on climate change, new energy sources, the future of engineering and life-sciences, the digital and creative economies and financial services.

Task Force Chairs

Richard Greenhalgh: Formerly chairman of Unilever UK from 1988 until 2004, he now has a portfolio of activities which include a range of business, education and charitable appointments. Currently Chairman of the Council for Industry and Higher Education, CARE International UK, and the advisory board of a US listed outsourcing company, OPI. Richard is also non-executive Director at Rank Group Plc and adviser to the Boards of Calor UK, and All Nippon Airways.

Rona Fairhead: Joined Pearson in October 2001 as Deputy Finance Director, became Chief Financial Officer in June 2002 and was appointed Chief Executive of the Financial Times Group in June 2006. She sits on the Pearson board and is also a member of the Pearson management committee. In 2007 she was appointed Chairman of Interactive Data Corporation’s Board of Directors. She was appointed a non-executive Director of HSBC Holdings plc in 2004.

Professor Christopher Snowden: Vice-Chancellor and Chief Executive of the University of Surrey and a distinguished engineer with wide experience of the international microwave and semiconductor industry. He is President of the Institute of Engineering and Technology 2009-10 and Vice-President of the Royal Academy of Engineering and chairs the Academy’s Engineering Policy Group. He has recently been appointed to the UK’s Technology Strategy Board and is a Board member of Universities UK.

Professor Nigel Thrift: Vice Chancellor of the University of Warwick and one of the world’s leading human geographers and social scientists. During his academic career, he has been the recipient of a number of distinguished academic awards, including the Royal Geographical Society Victoria Medal for contributions to geographic research in 2003 and Distinguished Scholarship Honors from the Association of American Geographers in 2007. He was made a Fellow of the British Academy in 2003, and is co-author, author or co-editor of over 35 books.

Note: The full press release can also be downloaded from the Media section of our Knowledge Bank

Press Release:
Rewarding research connected to impact and global challenges

More CIHE press releases can be found in the Media section of our Knowledge Bank.

The real sadness about the report’s initial reception is that it is a bold statement of intent by the CBI. The taskforce is calling for a major commitment by businesses to work with universities in every part of their life. Click here to read on…

Press release:
Collaborating for success – CBI Task Force on Higher Education

More CIHE press releases can be found in the Media section of our Knowledge Bank.