Cogent Industries

Working together on Workforce Development

Professor Cliff Hardcastle, Deputy Vice Chancellor, Research & Enterprise
Laura Woods, Director of Academic Enterprise, University of Teesside

How important are Sector Skills Councils to the delivery of higher level skills?
The University of Teesside is extremely keen to engage with the Sector Skills Councils and benefit from their industry expertise and relationships. We are wholeheartedly committed to the workforce development agenda and have one of the best track records in the sector for working innovatively alongside employers to create a highlytrained workforce. However, we realise that building an understanding of industry needs isn't simple. This is where Cogent has some key roles to play: in helping to define skills needs and in providing the all-important facilitation between academia and business.

We are delighted that the National Skills Academy for the Process Industries is up and running. It’s playing a critical intermediary role here in the North East, where the Process Industries are a vibrant sector, representing the largest chemicals complex in the UK in terms of manufacturing capacity. It depends on a highly skilled workforce – so it's critical that we understand exactly what those skills needs are and how to respond to them.
What does the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) need to do in support of this agenda?
HEFCE is already playing a proactive role, and is encouraging Higher Education Institutions to bid into its Strategic Development Fund to develop employer engagement capacity. Teesside was one of the first to win such funds – an award of £5.1m which will lever in over £13m over the next three years.

The HEFCE funding will also help us to develop courses that are co-funded with employers. It is linked to some stretching learner number targets, equating to 855 full-time equivalent students over the next three years, and of course a significant number of those are in the process industries. This is an exciting development and reflects the increased demand for skilled people in the sector.

HEFCE has made it clear that employer engagement is not just for those universities known for their business orientation - but for the whole higher education sector. The projects they are funding demonstrate a real step-change in employer engagement, which must be part of the core business of higher education.
How much does the higher education system need to change?
Historically there has been a supply-driven approach to education, but we're seeing a sea change in higher education in recent years. At Teesside, we’re certainly listening to employers and seeking to respond to their needs. Many employers are coming to the table for the first time and haven't truly experienced this kind of dialogue before. It’s important that we’re able to develop good relationships with them so that they can make clear their needs.

Here at the University, we’re going through nothing less than institutional and cultural change in order to sharpen our response to employer demand. From course development to marketing and communications - everything we do is part of this change process.
What does Industry need to do?
Business clearly has obligations too. We need to see a move away from the idea that it is purely the Government’s responsibility to fund higher education and deliver the workplace skills that are needed now and in the future. The far-sighted businesses are already doing this. They don't stop at short courses but go much further, funding learning over time and growing the talent they need to compete.

There are some parallels with what happened in generations past when much of the vocational learning took place in the workplace. People became articled and gained professional status whilst in employment.
How big is the task we face on skills?
People often talk of a skills crisis, although we believe we’re not there yet. However, we need to act fast – turning the vision into a reality. It’s an exciting time for universities – bringing academic knowledge and business needs together to create applied knowledge, new skills and business solutions.

The aim is to be able to make a comprehensive "offer" to industry that tackles skills gaps and shortages. It’s a two-way street: universities need to become easier to talk to, and more responsive, and employers need to recognise the need for higher skills and contribute to the costs. This kind of engagement is not just another new "initiative", but a new way of working and thinking about how we engage with business right across society.

Everybody has a role to play in this agenda: Government, educators, industry and of course the learners themselves. We're entering a new phase and we look forward to working with Cogent and the Academy in delivering what industry truly needs.