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Foundation Degrees and the HESkills@Work Project

Foundation Degrees and the HESkills@Work Project. Bob Bell. Recap the National Policy Drivers . Demographics National under-investment in associate professional and technician staffing ‘the 50%’. Does this ring a bell ?.

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Foundation Degrees and the HESkills@Work Project

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  1. Foundation Degrees and the HESkills@Work Project Bob Bell

  2. Recap the National Policy Drivers • Demographics • National under-investment in associate professional and technician staffing • ‘the 50%’

  3. Does this ring a bell ? “……the market for higher level skills in the UK is worth £500 million………………………….

  4. Does this ring a bell ? “……the market for higher level skills in the UK is worth £500 million…………………………. and the university sector has 6% of that”

  5. Does this ring a bell ? “……the market for higher level skills in the UK is worth £500 million…………………………. and the university sector has 6% of that” John Denham: DIUS Minister Feb 2008

  6. So ? Who’s got the rest – and what is it ?? • Tribal, KPMG, Microsoft etc. etc. etc. • Niche training, sometimes bespoke • Its characteristics are:- • Sold at high level into a corporate strategy • Aimed at a business outcome • Content, delivery and timing suits the client • Full cost • Non-accredited

  7. So – that’s the competition……… What’s our competitive strategy ? • We must match on flexibility of • content • delivery • Timing • We can win on • cost • accreditation • quality

  8. So How do we reconcile desired flexibility with the rigours of academic requirements - not least QAA ? • For vocational education at undergraduate level ‘skills’ are a valid consideration • Many employees are deploying HE skills in the workplace every day • Employers have a range of induction and training programmes which operate at high level • Learners can be introduced to new thinking skills which explore their experiences

  9. So what are the issues ? • Employers who are focussed on short term ‘training’ needs and avoid ‘qualifications’ • Difficult economics – small cohorts and employers as reluctant payers • ‘Work’ vs ‘Study’: knowledge/skills/development • Who controls the curriculum and delivery patterns • Compliance to QAA, the professions, institutional requirements ……

  10. Time for a personal view This is tough stuff • Often there is a big gap between employer and (public) provider • To bridge the gap you may need to get your hands dirty – build confident partnerships • You should actively consider working with good quality private providers • Provider’s business development and delivery responses sometimes drop below the required professional level………………………

  11. Anglia HigherSkills@Work Project • Benefitting from HEFCE’s Strategic Development Fund • Aims to get up to (additional) 1000 corporate learners by 2011-12 • Will be deploying a new team of Skills Development Consultants • Has the advantage of using IXION for employer engagement

  12. What? When? How? How Much? • What: (At this stage) • Fd Professional Practice + separate skills modules • Fd Health and Social Care • FD Cultural Services • HE Cert Leadership • Bespoke arrangements (e.g. BA M&L) • When: April 2009  • How: Using IXION and the new SDC team in collaboration • How Much: Customer component increases from ~35% to 65% over five year period

  13. How will it all work • Faculties to develop flexible products with SDF funding assistance • SDCs and Faculties work at large scale corporate level with (probably) bespoked solutions • IXION use a mass marketing approach to find interest with smes • There will be cross-over so integrated operations (CRM etc.) is essential

  14. Next Steps • LDS Director in place – Jon Bouffler • SDC Induction (week after next) ) • New SDC Team Leader Arrives – March • Further strategy to be evolved

  15. Employer Based Training Accreditation (EBTA)

  16. EBTA: Benefits for Providers • Allows real ‘employer engagement’ • A measurable contribution for co-funding • Allows growth without capacity issues • Provision of learning management

  17. EBTA: Benefits for Employers • External Benchmarking • Accreditation process can add real value to internal training programmes • Provides recognition and motivation for staff • Can be seen as a recruitment incentive

  18. EBTA: What sort of accreditation?

  19. Who’s doing it? • Royal Corps of Signals • Flybe • Quill • Sunderland Council • Stiller Transport and Logistics • The Police

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