Perkins Review of Engineering Skills March 2015 Claire Donovan Head of Engineering the Future Royal Academy of Engineering

Perkins Review of Engineering Skills Professor John Perkins reported in November 2013 22 recommendations, for government, schools, employers, universities, further education, professional institutions, etc E4E ran four Task and Finish Groups: Experiencing Industry – teacher CPD and work experience post-16 Cutting Edge Skills in FE Employer Engagement in HE Specialist Skills

Experiencing Industry The engineering community should provide continuing professional development for teachers, giving them experience of working in industry to put their academic teaching in practical context and enabling them to inspire and inform their students about engineering. A compelling case for teacher industrial CPD (continuing professional development): Teachers Heads and governors Companies

Commitment Sustained activity Significant activity Follow up activity Medium activity Initial activity Short activity Impact

What’s in it for YOU? Business case for companies Industrial Teacher CPD Business case for companies Teachers Offer work experience without the risks Influence many cohorts of students Improve delivery of STEM subjects Improve careers information in schools Improve understanding of the school curriculum Improve recruitment practices What’s in it for YOU?

Improve delivery of STEM subjects Why is this important? Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics are the cornerstones of technical occupations, but it can be difficult to teach these in an academic environment Teachers are always looking for ways to relate the curriculum to the ‘real world’ How to do it Check what the teacher is currently teaching, or look up the national curriculum for the relevant subject xx here Think about how your company might provide projects which bring the STEM curriculum to life Be sure to relate the teacher’s subject to the work you do, drawing out the relevance of aspects of STEM subjects such as arithmetic, principles of physics, chemical properties, design briefs, etc

Improve careers information in schools Why is this important? Students very often rely on advice from teachers regarding subject choice and potential careers, but teachers can struggle to provide accurate information on opportunities in engineering and industry How to do it Give the teacher a copy of your organisation chart, and describe the kinds of people employed in each role/section Make sure the teacher meets as many of your staff with diverse backgrounds as possible Ask staff to talk to the teacher about their routes into engineering (apprenticeship, on-the-job training, university, etc) and their career paths Talk to the teacher about the kind of qualifications, skills, experience and attitudes which you are looking for in new recruits, especially young people

Improve recruitment practices Why is this important? Recruitment is expensive and time-consuming for companies Failing to attract sufficient candidates, or having to process many candidates who are not of high quality, further compounds the recruitment problem How to do it Give the teacher information on how and where the company advertises its opportunities. Talk to the teacher about what calibre of person you usually recruit, particularly into entry-level jobs and apprenticeships

Experiencing industry The engineering community should work with employers to encourage and support provision of work experience for post-16 students studying in colleges and schools.

Cutting Edge Skills in FE Engineering employers should encourage their staff to share their skills and knowledge, for example by participating in the Education and Teaching Foundation’s Teach Too scheme. Government and the FE sector should encourage the application of learning technologies to extract maximum value from expert lecturers and the materials they produce, for example through Teach Too.

What do you want to see? A relevant and up-to-date STEM curriculum Flexible and affordable engineering education provision More and better engineering apprenticeships Engineering in FE taught by experts Provision responds to engineering employers’ needs High quality local engineering teaching facilities Engineering students inspired by real world application of engineering FE students understand engineering careers options Young people progress to HE and apprenticeships where appropriate Engineers develop their skills throughout their careers What do you want to see?

A relevant and up-to-date STEM curriculum What’s in it for engineering employers? This is the foundation on which engineering training and skills rests This is where many young people become inspired to become engineers by seeing its practical application Recruits will arrive with an understanding of the most current thinking and processes in STEM What’s in it for colleges and providers? Your students will be motivated if they can see the relevance of their studies Students will be ready for work in the modern world Students are attracted to courses and providers which promise to train them at the ‘cutting edge’ Make it happen Employers: review the current curriculum being taught, and work with the provider to select the best content and teaching approaches Providers: invite employers to comment on the development of new STEM courses, their teaching and assessment Employers: examine the curriculum and provide examples of ‘real world’ application for the content being taught

Flexible and affordable engineering education provision What’s in it for engineering employers? Local provision which is within economic reach of both small and large firms What’s in it for colleges and providers? An ‘offer’ which is attractive to both individuals and companies Make it happen Providers: help employers understand how provision is funded, and where the costs are incurred Providers: look beyond full-time day time provision to consider evening and weekend delivery, or delivery on employer premises Both: work together to plan provision, particularly that which needs capital investment and specialist teaching Both: consider pooling facilities for teaching, particularly of specialist or cutting edge skills

More and better engineering apprenticeships What’s in it for engineering employers? A framework which is tailored to the demands of industry A higher quality of new starters entering the business What’s in it for colleges and providers? Boost to apprenticeship income Potential progression for students to higher level qualifications also delivered in colleges and providers Make it happen Providers: highlight apprenticeship success stories in local large and small firms Employers: discuss your succession planning and skills needs with local providers, and establish which might be met by engineering apprenticeships Both: agree roles in apprenticeships which enable each partner to play their appropriate part in supporting the engineering apprentice (eg through mentoring, visits to other companies, etc)

Employer Engagement in HE The engineering community should develop concerted engagement with university students, including work placements to raise the profile of engineering careers and ensure that students on every campus are aware of the full range of diverse opportunities with engineering employers, large and small. Funding Employment law Projects Accreditation Credit-bearing activity

Guest lectures by industry Industrial site visits Careers skills   Guest lectures by industry Industrial site visits Careers skills lectures by industry Course content defined with industry Salaried year placements Projects defined by industry Group projects defined with industry Student bursaries Knowledge Transfer Partnerships Industrial research projects Industry mentoring for students Paid internships Industrial advisory boards

What’s in it for engineering employers? What’s in it for universities? Paid internships What’s in it for engineering employers? Visibility of student performance in a work environment Access to a ‘Fresh Set of Eyes’ untainted by company politics Access to students aware of most current developments in an area Existing staff can develop mentoring and leadership skills in managing the student Short term commitment increases flexibility What’s in it for universities? Motivates students and provides context for studies Has been shown students who have done a placement achieve higher degree results Builds relationships with employers who may also look for R&D projects or training for existing employees Make it Happen Employers: Identify intern opportunities and skills required Publicise intern opportunities via company website, EngInterns.com, LEPs etc. Speak to Universities with appropriate courses to find students Students: Identify the Industry or Sector you would like to take an internship in and research companies Search company websites, EngIntern.com Speak with University Placements and Careers teams Universities: Nominate a person to coordinate internships Publicise the intern coordinator internally & externally for students and companies to contact Promote the benefits of internships to students via course tutors

Individual projects co-defined / delivered with industry What’s in it for engineering employers? Access to Fresh Opinions untainted by company politics Ability to access up to date techniques and approaches Visibility of student’s performance in a work environment for potential recruitment Ability to raise company profile and showcase opportunities within a target audience What’s in it for universities? Motivates students and provides context for studies Development of skills relevant to and desired by employers Make it Happen Employers: Identify project opportunities, perhaps projects you have been looking to try but are not a priority Identify the skill(s) appropriate to the project Speak to Universities with appropriate courses to find students Students: Seize opportunities for industrially defined projects and capitalise upon opportunities to build links with local companies Universities: Exploit links with local companies through placements / careers teams to identify projects Promote the benefits of industry defined projects to students

Skills lectures by industry What’s in it for engineering employers? Increased employee engagement and morale Ability to raise company profile and showcase opportunities within a target audience Develop internal staff (CPD) through mentoring and teaching others Ability to set expectations for students who will be entering work What’s in it for university? Helps set student expectations of what is expected in work Support local businesses develop their staff Forming strong partnerships with local businesses Increases employability Make it Happen Employers: Identify skills you could support and identify staff willing to lecture Speak to Universities with appropriate courses Bring company experience to lectures to highlight real-world issues Students: Recognise the added value by having lectures from industrialists; the issues they highlight are from the real world and will likely be similar to those you will face in your own career. Turn up to lectures!! Universities: Promote guest lectures and the benefits the offer to students Promote to wider audiences Consider the timing of guest lectures, avoid times when students are likely to be drawn elsewhere, e.g. sports afternoons

Specialist skills Engineering employers should explore the potential for developing cooperative cross-sector schemes to support postgraduate students.

Common elements For schools, colleges and universities No new initiatives Utilising existing organisations and schemes Common components Business case Good practice, guidance to implement good practice Templates, supporting documentation Dissemination Sustainability For post-graduate, a UCAS matching portal and new funding models

  Output Who is it for? Where to find it Teacher industrial CPD Business cases for teachers, companies and headteachers/governing bodies Teachers, companies, heads, governing bodies National Science Learning Centre The ‘escalator’ of information and guidance on teacher industrial CPD Schools and companies Post-16 work experience Project briefs suitable for engineering companies to use during a work experience Students, companies Tomorrow’s Engineers Documentation to support pre-during-post work experience activity Companies Guidance on Disclosure and Barring Checks for employers offering work experience Further Education The joint business case for FE and industry Further education, companies National Forum for Engineering Centres (NFEC) Case studies and guidance on good practice Further Education, companies National Forum for Engineering Centres Higher education Template employment contracts for use during placements of three months or more Companies, universities National Centre for Universities and Business (NCUB) Information on funding streams to support engineering employer engagement Universities, companies