The future of higher education was under the spotlight today (Wednesday) at the first meeting of a new Task Force of business and university leaders formed by the CBI.
The CBI’s Higher Education Task Force - under the leadership of Sam Laidlaw, Chief Executive of Centrica - will explore what business wants from higher education, how business and universities can best work together and how the sector should be funded.
All three political parties are currently reviewing higher education policy, with the government expected to publish its vision for higher education next year and the future of tuition fees potentially under review.
The number of people going to university has increased greatly over the last three decades - there were 270,000 new entrants in 2006/7 aged 17-30, with a total participation rate for this age group of 40%. This makes the quality and cost of HE provision all the more important.
Announcing the formation of a new CBI Higher Education Task Force, the CBI’s Director-General, Richard Lambert said:
"Business knows that a vibrant, dynamic higher education sector is crucial to the future of the UK economy and in the last few years universities have made good progress building bridges with business.
"As well as examining if businesses and universities are getting the most out of working together, the CBI’s task force will report in June 2009 on what business wants to get out of universities going forward."
To make its recommendations, the CBI Task Force will conduct new research and will be drawing on the experience of the Task Force and other CBI member companies. The new group comprises 18 leading businesses and universities from a range of sectors and specialisms.
Mr Lambert added: "Clearly, the role of universities is broader than just business, but as a significant funder, user and customer of higher education, it is only right that business sets out what it needs.
"Our task force will also consider how businesses and universities can work together to ensure that students develop the employability skills business needs, and that more take science, engineering and maths subjects."
The CBI Higher Education Task Force will consider:
- How business can work with universities to develop the skills that it needs - CBI surveys show employers want graduates with good communication, team-working, self-management skills so they are better prepared for employment. The future UK economy will also need more graduates with science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) skills.
- How universities deliver workforce - Business spent £39bn in 2007 on workforce training but in the same year university income from workforce training was £480 million.
- How higher education funding should evolve to continue to support a world-class HE sector and what role business could play.
Quotes from CBI Higher Education Task Force members:
Sam Laidlaw, Chief Executive of Centrica (& Task Force Chairman), said: "As UK business operates in an increasingly global market, our ability to compete will increasingly be determined by our access to highly skilled talent. This initiative creates an opportunity for UK business to articulate its talent requirements for success. Working closely with higher education and government, the CBI task force aims to help shape a sustainable approach to developing Britain's graduate and existing workforce talent. This should benefit our young people, our universities, our businesses and the UK as a whole."
Rick Trainor, Principal of King's College London (& President of Universities UK), said: "The University sector welcomes this CBI HE task force. It will help universities and business understand each other's needs better. UK universities already produce some of the best graduates in the world. This task force will help us make sure they have even better skills for business needs. It will also help business get the best out of the abilities and creativity that today's graduates bring to the world of work."
Johnny Cameron, Chairman Global Markets of RBS, said: "I see first-hand that British graduates are themselves competing in a global market for the best jobs. In the UK we need to ensure that our graduates continue to be amongst the best in the world, developing the business awareness, personal skills and technical knowledge they will need to be successful in today's world."
Steve Easterbrook, President & CEO of McDonald’s, said: "The CBI Task Force has a real opportunity to challenge universities, business and the government to ensure the UK’s HE sector remains one of the best in the world. It’s absolutely essential that universities and businesses work effectively together to maximise the benefit this delivers for the UK economy and ensure we remain competitive – the rest of the world certainly isn’t standing still."
Melfort Campbell, CEO of Imes Group said: "I want the HE sector to provide more graduates with degrees which are relevant to our business. Industry needs to be clear on which degree subjects are considered valuable. The Task Force recommendations should aim to help students who are currently unsure about the value of a degree and also improve communication with the HE sector in relation to what business wants."
Gordon Frazer, UK Managing Director of Microsoft, said: "Ensuring the UK higher education system and business work effectively together is important to our continued economic success – whether in terms of producing the graduates and post-graduates with the right skills and knowledge, building excellent research and innovation links or through helping firms develop their leadership and management talent. All these are essential to the success of companies such as Microsoft."
Graham Love, CEO of QinetiQ, said: "STEM skills are vital to our commercial success and are of great concern to us at QinetiQ because they underpin our ability to tackle some of the greatest global challenges we face. Both industry and government have key roles to play in inspiring our next generation of scientists and engineers and this is a key issue which the Task Force will address."