70 likes | 172 Views
Using Labour Market Intelligence. Wendy Fowles -Sweet, CEng MRAeS CPDA Co-ordinator UWE Learning and Teaching Associate Fellow. Why Employer Engagement?. Skills need to be continually up-graded and enhanced – universities can provide this life long learning
E N D
Using Labour Market Intelligence Wendy Fowles-Sweet, CEng MRAeS CPDA Co-ordinator UWE Learning and Teaching Associate Fellow
Why Employer Engagement? • Skills need to be continually up-graded and enhanced – universities can provide this life long learning • If employers are engaged at the earliest stages they will have employable graduates who “tick all their boxes” and can quickly apply what they have learnt • HEIs can offer academic learning from Short Courses to Doctorates – students take these awards to enhance their career opportunities
What can we do? Some of many options: • Long-term Relationship Building • Curricula Development to include application • Relating Academic Qualifications to Professional Recognition • Regular Employer Engagement Fora = Employer Involvement and Commitment
Why Labour Market Intelligence? • HEIs and Employers do not find it easy to work together • Real time projects and academic years do not easily map • Not easy to find ways into HEIs • Not easy to find ways into Employer Organisations
Relationship Building • Market Intelligence, not Sales • Develop long term relationships with employers, recognising we will not be their sole academic partner, but willing to collaborate as needed • Ensures award curricula meet employer demand • Enables bespoke offerings, based on generic concepts and organisational needs • Identify direct route to potential students
Engaging Employers - PABs • Professional Advisory Boards • Relatively easy if the subject matter is applied, such as Engineering, harder if subject is “Pure”, such as Maths or Physics • Developing Professional Institution relationships for award accreditation • What can be achieved • Employer appreciation of the learning required in that topic • Employer input – curricula, lecturing, placements, seminars, etc • Academic awareness of current sector needs • Long term employer interest in students at all levels • Research opportunities
Summary • “Employer-focused learning” requires a different approach than traditional “student-focused learning” • Relationship building is required to gain trust and ensure the learning offered is what is needed • This approach is likely to achieve ever greater employer / HEI collaboration, enhancing labour market intelligence