YHELLN

Yesterday I was struck by a truth so obvious it had eluded me. So little of our learning takes place in college or university, and so much within our workplace. I am more convinced than ever that productive relationships between HE and business need to be about joint working to shared objectives, rather than merely offering a service.

This is difficult for several reasons. Firstly, the structure of most universities makes this way of working very difficult, particularly in terms of releasing staff to work on such projects, and knowing how to reward them if they do. Secondly, the way that higher education is funded means that without participation in accredited training then there is no subsidy so everything has to be at full cost. More worryingly to me, it then eludes the key metrics around employer engagement, though it may fall within HE-Business Interaction and HEIF metrics. There is a real lack of joined up-ness between employer engagement and HEIF in my opinion, but that's another topic altogether.

So what is the solution? Work Based Learning in HE and modular approaches to qualifications - which themselves may be very work based - work towards a solution. But I don't think they go all the way. The problem is, universities (and colleges?) are not selling what businesses want to by, for the large part. And as consultants, trainers and coaches at full cost we cannot compete because we have large overheads to feed.

I suspect the real solution is to start with what the client wants, scope it up in terms of as much subsidised provision as possible (including accredited modules, KTPs etc), charge full cost for the rest and present a total package. That is likely to work for medium to large businesses. Another possible solution is to frame an accredited solution around the existing interests and spends of the client business. This can then be presented as a substantial cost saving given some provisos about registering for an accredited route.

In both cases, the approach to curriculum development, delivery and assessment needs to be extremely flexible and work-based. Existing assumptions will need to be challenged. Previous systems may no longer be fit for purpose. This, I think, is where the main change needs to come.

In response to concerns about the policy’s impact on part-time provision, and in light of discussions with the Government, the Board agreed that the supplement to part-time targeted allocations should be increased by a further £10 million to £30 million, to be introduced in 2009-10 and reviewed in 2011-12.

In his recent grant letter to HEFCE, John Denham directly acknowledges the contribution of Lifelong Learning Networks, as well as prioritising three important areas in which they contribute.

1. HEFCE is being asked as a first priority to deliver an increase in HE student numbers, linked to the Leitch Targets. It is acknowledged that many of these new students will be from ‘underrepresented groups from all parts of the working population’. Flexible and innovative delivery models are urged.

YHELLN is supporting partners to engage with employers on a scalable and sustainable basis. Furthermore it is directly supporting partners to adapt learner support structures to meet the needs of learners from a wide variety of backgrounds, including those in work. This latter initiative will ensure sustainable growth in numbers, and promote the success of individual students.

2. As a second priority, HEFCE is asked to grow Foundation Degree numbers, and to continue to make progress on Flexible Learning Pathways. Adaptability and speed of response to demand are highlighted, as are the provision of tailored programmes for businesses.

YHELLN is directly and indirectly supporting a number of demand-led Foundation Degree developments across the partnership, and piloting the roll-out of ‘bite size’ modules. In addition it is supporting the University of Hull’s ‘Flexible Framework’ initiative. These developments will enhance all partners’ capacity to deliver responsive curriculum to current and future employees of local businesses.

3. Thirdly, widening participation is prioritised. This includes the development of ‘seamless progression routes to higher level skills’ in which the role of Lifelong Learning Networks is highlighted. Alongside this, the importance of short-cycle qualifications and credit accumulation is considered important.

YHELLN is in the early stages of piloting tailored, local progression agreements across the partnership. The bite-size initiative mentioned above will allow meaningful engagement with HE for a wide range of learners, with the option to accumulate credit over time.

Reference:

Rt Hon John Denham MP, Higher Education Funding Council for England Grant Letter, 18 January 2008: http://hefce.ac.uk/news/hefce/2008/grant/

I wrote this in an email to someone yesterday...

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There is currently something of a debate going on between those who would prefer to keep a focus on the individual and social/community benefits of higher education, and those who are driving this neo-Liberal agenda around Skills. In other words, is higher education supposed to be for the social or the economic good. Many people in the sector are uneasy about the current focus on skills, and the danger of reducing higher education to training.

In YHELLN we need to tread a middle line through this. The message I would like to convey is that it is possible to embrace the skills agenda (I was serious about the fact that if we don't do this we risk becoming a poor nation) while still maintaining a social agenda. The research reflects this, and so does a lot of the work we are doing within YHELLN. We CAN look at the impacts on individuals and communities that go beyond skills and jobs, but at the same time work with employers to meet their skills needs. And we CAN deliver Foundation Degrees and other forms of vocational higher education that promote critical thinking and wider learning.

Comprehensive Spending Review
Implications for Higher Education

Changes to the HE sector

The CSR implies significant reform of the HE sector, though the word ‘reform’ is not used. Announced changes include:

• Foundation Degree awarding powers for FE Colleges
• It will be easier for private providers to gain degree awarding powers
• Employers can accredit their in-house training and even become awarding bodies (it is not clear whether this will extend to higher education)
• Expansion of HE focused on employer co-financed provision - 5,000 additional employer co-financed places and growth of at least 5,000 places per year to 2010/11. Priority will be for work based learning and provision designed or delivered by employers and Sector Skills Councils
• ‘Bite-sized learning, credit accumulation, flexible and innovative modes of delivery and curriculum design influenced by employers will be key features of the future HE system’
• Building on the Higher Skills Pathfinders to ‘build the higher skills offer’ to employment. The DIUS also commit to ‘increasing interaction between HEIs and employers, including employers clearly articulating their skills needs’

Indicators

Most relevant to higher education is PSA Delivery Agreement 2

Two indicators are of direct relevance:

• 34% of working age adults qualified to level 4 and above by 2011, 36% by 2014.
• Increase in overall HE participation among 18-30 year olds by one percentage point every two years until 2010/11

For the first time there is a PSA indicator for the number of adults of working age who are qualified at Level 4 and above. This target will be disaggregated regionally. Local authorities have responsibility for contributing to this target.

There is clearly some overlap between these indicators. However the second merely implies that the sector is set to expand based on existing models of participation, whereas the first implies a more fundamental changes in the way HE is delivered.

Other news of interest

• Sector Skills Councils will be relicenced to drive up quality in ensuring they are able to articulate employers’ skills needs
• The National Skills Academy Network is underlined as of importance.
• The number of Knowledge Transfer Partnerships will double, and FE Colleges will be encouraged to participate
• Train to Gain will expand to Level 3. There may also be a role for the service at Level 4, this is likely to be related to the roll-out of the HEFCE Higher Skills Pathfinders.
• The number of apprentices is set to expand significantly
• Expansion in Level 3 provision will largely be through Train to Gain
• A single, integrated business support brokerage service will be launched in April 09 via Business Link, and this will include skills brokerage
• This Autumn, the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR) will publish research communicating the benefits to business of investing in skills at all levels.

Jenny Shaw, 10.10.07

The Sainsbury Review of UK Science and Innovation was published on Friday. Among the recommendations are included:

- doubling of the number of Knowledge Transfer Partnerships and extending these further to FE Colleges
- 'More support to business facing universities' through the Higher Education Innovation Fund (HEIF) though probably on a formula basis

There are clear links with the Leitch Review and the promise of funding suggests that this would be something worth pursuing. In my opinion the overlap between 'third stream funding' for Universities and sale of accredited HE provision is currently under-developed.

The Employer Engagement 'round table' meeting held at Reeds Hotel, Barton on Friday appeared to meet a need in relation to HE/FE staff who are currently engaging with, or wishing to engage with, employers. There was a call for further meetings that may perform a CPD role for participants.

4.10
Meeting at the Hull and Humber Chamber of Commerce resulted in discussion of demand-led HE and the concept of a 'fund' into which employers could tap in, to be used exclusively for accredited HE of their choice.

This might work in the context of 'market failure' in some industry sectors, where higher skills would clearly benefit the economy as a whole but employers are currently unable or unwilling to invest.

While this could not be a use for YHELLN funds, it is not impossible that a fund of this nature could be created through other funding sources.

3.10
The Ufi portal/project 'Learning Through Work' is to be relaunched in January as a service to HE Providers who wish to provide flexible and/or blended learning solutions for learners in the workplace. Currently there are a few hundred learners in Yorkshire who are registered with HEIs outside the Region because so few Yorkshire HEIs are currently participating.

I am arrainging opportunities for Ufi to showcase their system in the YHELLN area during November.

Interesting news regarding the export value of UK education: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/6999661.stm