Pauline Maden HE Curriculum Manager, Cogent SSC

Project overview £2.9m Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) –Development and resourcing costs –Includes a significant subsidy of the cost of the provision to the Sector Flexible foundation degree framework –Up-skill existing staff in technical roles –5 development strands including nuclear –Innovative delivery –Driven by voice of the employer

Collaboration Landmark collaboration –Cogent –HEA Physical Science Subject Centre –University of Hull –Employer HEI consortium –London Metropolitan University/Napier - Polymers –Manchester Metropolitan University - Chemicals –University of Hull - Petrochemicals –University of Kent - Biosciences –UCLAN/Portsmouth – Nuclear

HE/Employer interface New ways of working to drive forward vocational learning for the science industries Enhanced employability and work-awareness for graduates in partner HEIs National coordination and partnership model for higher level skills development Business Model for HE at Work Security in skills supply and transferability/employability Nationally recognised and accredited qualifications in WBL Widened participation in HE to include those in employment without prior HE experience HE contribution to re-skilling and up-skilling underpinning technical capability of manufacturing at a time of economic challenge A working co-funded model Raising demand for higher level skills… “skills activism”

Proposed plan for Nuclear FD Engineering (Nuclear) –Onward development –Innovative delivery Nuclear is one strand of a wider Foundation Degree framework, it will remain a major objective to develop work based learning as an employer led consortium.

Draft framework (indicative) Engineering (for the Nuclear Industry) Principal Knowledge 80 credits Skills 80 credits Specialisation 80 credits Underpinning Knowledge 40 credits Common 20 credits Industry Awareness 20 credits Functional Skills 20 credits Manufacturing Practice 20 credits Job Content 20 credits Business Improvement Techniques 20 credits Specialist Knowledge 60 credits Industry Project 20 credits Mechanical Engineering 20 credits Electrical Engineering 20 credits Engineering Mathematics 20 credits Engineer in Nuclear Industry 20 credits Nuclear Fundamentals 10 credits Nuclear Fuel Cycle 10 credits Nuclear Safety 10 credits Reactor Technology 10 credits Thermal & Fluid Processes 10 credits Control & Instrumentation 10 credits Legend: WBL Unit xx credits Blended Learning Unit xx credits Level 1 Unit xx credits Level 2 Unit xx credits

Moving forward Industry champion in place by January 2010 Consultation process around delivery mechanisms Stimulating demand Research and evaluation programme

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