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October 08

Education

Student issues

Employment

This bulletin summarises reports and surveys, press releases and news articles under the following headings: education; student issues and employment. In education, reports examining knowledge exchange in higher education, strategically important subjects, careers guidance as a means of supporting workforce development, and private higher education provision were published, while the Higher Education Careers Services Unit unveiled a study into postgraduate study trends. On the student front, this year’s Sodexho/Times Higher Education Student Lifestyle Survey was published, while in employment, HEFCE unveiled research into graduates’ early careers and a study by the Council for Industry and Higher Education released a study arguing that UK graduates are missing out on international jobs.

Education

New dental training centre in Aberdeen

A new £21million dental training centre was opened recently. The Aberdeen Dental School is set to produce 20 fully qualified dentists annually, providing a significant increase in the numbers of trained practitioners entering the profession in Scotland. Incentives are in place to encourage graduates to work in the NHS and it is anticipated that many will choose to practise in the North and North-East of Scotland. The venture has been made possible by funding from the Scottish Government and NHS Grampian.

(New £21m dental training centre, Scottish Government press release, 6 October 2008.)

Paper on knowledge exchange in higher education

This study presents a sector-level analysis of knowledge exchange (KE) in the English higher education sector. It covers a range of issues, including the current state of KE within higher education, the broad aims of the latest KE strategies and the sectors targeted. The nature and extent of collaboration are discussed, as are the benefits that HEIs see as deriving from this. Finally, the risks faced by HEIs in implementing KE strategies are considered.

(Higher Education Innovation Fund round four institutional strategies, HEFCE, October 2008.)

Unis work together in widening participation

Nine of the UK’s most selective universities have agreed to extend opportunities for the best-performing students from the most challenging backgrounds. Birmingham, Bristol, Exeter, King’s College London, Leeds, Leicester, Newcastle, Southampton and Warwick are working together to find ways of ensuring they do not miss out on the most talented students. The initiative will build on what universities already do in reaching out to schools and colleges in their communities. Some of the universities are also working together to recognise each other’s widening participation schemes.

(John Denham announces nine selective universities to ensure students get a fair chance to show what they can achieve, DIUS press release, 24 September 2008.)

UUK report on private higher education providers

The paper looks at private higher education providers, particularly the various types of for-profit institutions. Among the principal conclusions are: the most significant are of growth in the recent global expansion in higher education has been in privately provided higher education; the newer private providers operate with commercial business models and rely on tuition fees; and the most prominent international for-profit providers often focus on the market for higher education from people in work, who lack the time to enrol in traditional higher education.

(Private universities and public funding: Models and business plans, Universities UK, October 2008.)

HECSU research into trends in postgraduate study

This report charts a rise in the number of postgraduates studying at HEIs in the UK between 2000/01 and 2005/06, and notes also a growth in the number of female students and students from China and India. Women are much more likely than men to go into education and health and less likely to go into management and business. Postgraduate finance, salaries and labour market trends are also discussed, as are increasing numbers of doctorates and employment outcomes for doctoral graduates.

(Higher degrees: Postgraduate study in the UK 2000/01 to 2005/06, J. Artess, C. Ball and P.Mok, October 2008.)

RAE unveils new diploma

The Royal Academy of Engineering has unveiled a new diploma in engineering that it believes will attract more young people from a wide range of backgrounds into engineering. The Academy is backing the new diploma as key to encouraging more students into the profession and preparing them for the world of work through more creative learning and practical experience enhanced by employer involvement. The diploma will provide an introduction to the industry and different sectors.

(Academy takes lead role with Engineering Diploma roll-out, Royal Academy of Engineering press release, 2 September 2008.)

US and UK universities dominate uni rankings

US and UK universities continue to dominate this year’s Times Higher Education rankings of the world’s top universities. Harvard and Yale occupy first and second places respectively, followed by Cambridge, Oxford, California Institute of Technology, Imperial College London, University College London, University of Chicago, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Columbia University. The study is based on views of academics, citations in academic publications, opinions of employers and staff-student ratios.

(US and UK universities 'dominant', BBC 9 October 2008.)

Review of career guidance to support workforce development

This paper reviews career guidance provision that supports workforce development across the EU-25 Member States. The report includes 35 case studies, which provide accounts of practice by employers, trade unions, the public sector, outplacement consultancies, professional associations and industry sector bodies. The study suggests that there are no clear processes for career development inside many organisations, and contends that more effective guidance will assist the knowledge economy. Intermediary organisations’ roles in providing career development support are also discussed.

(Career development at work: A review of career guidance to support people in employment, Cedefop Panorama series; 151, 2008.)

Rise in university applicants

Provisional figures released by the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) show a rise in the number of people applying to enter university or college in 2008. The total number of people applying for 2008 entry was 582,657, compared with 531,898 and 504,748 in 2007 and 2006 respectively. The number of those accepted on to courses for 2008 entry was 451,871, a 9.7% rise on 2007 numbers. The final figures will be confirmed in January 2009.

(Record applications drive strategic subjects upwards, UCAS press release, 15 October 2008.)

Review into strategically important subjects published

This report sets out the advice and conclusions of the HEFCE chief executive’s Strategically Important Subjects Advisory Group. It notes the sustained volume of modern language provision in higher education; recommends that land-based studies should no longer be considered vulnerable; and welcomes progress of the key indicators for science, technology, engineering and mathematics. It also calls for the creation of an advisory group, with a remit to consider graduate supply and demand, and a further review of the strategically important and vulnerable subjects policy framework.

(Strategically important and vulnerable subjects: Final report of the 2008 advisory group, HEFCE, October 2008.)

Universities to test student achievement report

18 higher education institutions are to pilot a new approach to representing achievement of students at the end of their degrees. The Measuring and Recording Student Achievement Steering Group recommended the introduction of a single document, to be known as a Higher Education Achievement Report (HEAR). Initially, the HEAR will be tested on data related directly to recently graduated students to ensure comparability with student record systems, before being trialled in 2009. Students and employers are also participating in the trials.

(Institutions pilot new student achievement report, Universities UK press release, 21 October 2008.)

Review of adult participation in higher education

The paper looks at how adult participation in higher education (HE) might be encouraged. It identifies three groups of adults with regard to higher education: those sharing many similar characteristics to those who already have an experience of HE and who may have narrowly missed out on going to university earlier in their careers; those experiencing some aspect of disadvantage such as unemployment, living in social housing or having a health problem; and those with a lower tendency to consider HE but may be persuaded.

(University is not just for young people, E. Pollard, August 2008.)

Student issues

Parents the principal source of money for students

Research from Halifax bank reveals that over half (53%) of students receive funding from their parents. The research also revealed that government financial support, job, borrowing, savings were also key sources of financial support. Students in Scotland were most likely to receive funding from parents, whereas students in Northern Ireland received the least funding. Students in their third year of study were likely to receive more funding from parents (65%), compared with 50% in their first year.

(Over half of students receive parental funding through university, Halifax press release, 1 October 2008.)

Sodexho/Times Higher Education Student Lifestyle Survey

This report contends that higher education has become a means to an end for today’s students. It concludes that 74% of respondents wanted to go to university to improve or enhance their job prospects and 60% were motivated by a desire to improve their salary prospects. The study also posits that it has become increasingly normal for a student to do paid work during term time, and lifestyle and eating habits, personal pressures and security, and university services are also examined. 2,002 undergraduates were polled.

(The Sodexho University Lifestyle Survey 2008, Sodexho/Times Higher Education, September 2008.)

Employment

UK graduates missing out on international jobs

A report from the Council for Industry and Higher Education (CIHE) contends that UK graduates are missing out on high-flying international jobs because they are now less likely to study overseas than they used to. The study also notes that international students consider that they are more likely to have higher paid jobs at more senior positions and spent less time seeking those jobs than either UK graduates or those in their home country who did not travel to the UK.

(UK graduates missing out on international jobs, CIHE press release, 16 October 2008.)

Early careers of graduates

This paper describes the characteristics of graduates from UK higher education and their progression into work or further study six month, and three-and-a-half years, after graduation. It identifies what effect choice of subject has on graduates’ early careers and focuses on graduates of subjects deemed to be strategically important and vulnerable. Graduate trends, graduate destinations, graduate salaries and the role of subject areas in achieving employment are discussed.

(Graduates and their early careers, HEFCE, October 2008.)

Co-op’s graduate scheme sees increase in applications

Applications to Co-operative Group’s graduate recruitment programme have more than doubled since 2005. 2,223 students applied to join this year’s programme, up from 845 in 2005. The company will also now consider applications from students with any degree, rather than just those with economics or business studies. The firm has redesigned its online application form, to make it easy to use for people with disabilities, and advertises in graduate career media and specialist publications, in a bid to attract a wider pool of recruits.

(Co-op's graduate applicant numbers double in wake of course redesign, Personnel Today, 3 October 2008.)

UN report into links between education and employment

This report looks at the relationship between education and employment in the countries of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). It illustrates that people with low levels of qualifications, or no qualifications at all, are disadvantaged in the labour market in terms of obtaining a job compared with people with high-level qualifications. The paper cites a ‘skills-based technological change’ as the primary cause of the shift in demand for labour away from those with a low level of education and towards those with a higher level.

(Education and employment in OECD countries, S McIntosh, October 2008.)

Research into human resource mobility and knowledge creation

This study contends that international mobility of human resources in science and technology is of growing importance and can have significant impacts on knowledge creation and diffusion (e.g. contribution to innovation). It also notes that Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries benefit from the inflow of talented students and scholars, that many OECD countries now actively seek to attract foreign students and benefits occur when domestic students study abroad and gain knowledge and experience in another country.

(The Global competition for talent: Mobility of the highly skilled, OECD, October 2008.)