Foundation Degree in Polymer Technology Provider Consultation Event

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Foundation Degree in Polymer Technology
Provider Consultation Event

• Charles Pickford
• Director of Employer Partnerships
• (Private Sector)
• c.pickford_at_fdf.ac.uk
• Mob [phone]

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Objectives for the day

• To present the draft Polymer Technology Fd
  Framework and place it within the context of
  national developments and Cogents strategic
  objectives
• To consult and get feedback from universities and
  colleges on the content, delivery and other
  components of the proposed framework
• To invite interested universities and colleges
  to work with Cogent, fdf, and employers to
  develop the framework further for UK wide delivery

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Anticipated Outcomes

• Shared understanding of employers needs and
  Cogents objectives
• Robust framework for the sector
• Expressions of interest from Universities and
  Colleges who share the vision and want to work
  in partnership with employers, Cogent and fdf

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Policy contexts

• Leitch Review of Skills
• World Class Skills
• Higher Level Skills (April 2008)
• A new University Challenge
• The Sainsbury Review
• Innovation Nation
• Raising Expectations enabling the system to
  deliver

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Leitch Review of Skills
3.26 A more highly-skilled labour force will
enable businesses to innovate further, taking
advantage of new technologies and ways of working
in order to improve productivity and capture new
markets. Without this, businesses will become
increasingly vulnerable to global competition,
finding it difficult to take advantage of new
markets and increasingly difficult to retain
share in their current market.
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Leitch Review of Skills

• 3.56 Concentrating too much on younger age
  groups could create further longer term problems
  for the amount and the use of high level skills
  in our workforceAs the Higher education White
  Paper stated, new higher education growth should
  not be more of the same, based on traditional
  three year honours degrees. Rather provision
  should be based on new types of programme
  offering specific, job-related skills such as
  Foundation Degrees.

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Implications for HE a paradigm shift?

• Re-balance of focus to include the whole adult
  workforce in the HE teaching and learning mission
• Programme content designed in partnership with
  employers and employer organisations
• Flexible and responsive provision to meet
  employer and workforce needs
• Stimulate and develop the workforce market
• Flexible funding not based on qualification but
  credit demand-led funding v. block grant
  tradition

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The big issues (1)?

• Funding for part-time provision
• STEM subject/sectors
• Off-campus delivery of work-based learning
• Institutional innovation in quality assurance
  procedures
• Credit-based funding
• Accreditation of work-based learning at higher
  levels
• Information, advice and guidance

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The big issues (2)?

• Creating, supporting and sustaining a demand-led
  HE
• Employer partnerships
• Stimulating employee demand
• The future role of The UK Commission for
  Employment and Skills and SSCs
• Partnerships with regional bodies/RDAs
• New funding models

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Consistent messages from employers across sectors
are

• Knowledge and Skills deficits
• Recruitment
• Retention
• Succession planning
• Attitudes behaviour
• Value for money from education and training
• Evaluating the effectiveness of graduate
  recruitment

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Expectation of HE

• Strategic long term developments
• Collaborative relationships between HE partners
• Collaborative relationships with other
  stakeholders
• Consistent, but not prescriptive, national
  provision
• Alignment to national standards
• Delivery by staff with current industry knowledge
• Embraces employer expertise
• Values maximises opportunities for work based
  learning
• Accredits employer based training
• Models of delivery that meet employers learners
  needs
• Professional Client Management

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Consortia Projects

• RAF
• Retail
• ICT / Telecomms
• Rail
• Travel
• Biopharma
• Utilities Power / Water / (Gas)
• Aircraft Maintenance
• Refineries and Chemicals
• Polymers and Composites
• Building Services Engineering
• Nuclear

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RAF Strategy

• National employer with a mobile workforce
• Built a consortium of RAF, fdf, and four
  Universities providing national coverage
• Developed and validated identical provision
  across four institutions
• Established rules of combination, transfer and
  award
• Pilot programmes
• Growth strategy based upon proven product and
  successful pilot

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ICT and Telecomms Strategy

• Developed an employer consortium
• Carried out a Skills Needs Analysis across the
  sector
• Identified and agreed a consistent approach to
  developing education and skills across the
  industry
• Developed a consortium of providers
• Aligning the provision of providers to offer a
  consistent qualification across the UK
• Grow the network