1. The London Higher Business Development Unit Alan Brickwood Consultant / Adviser to London Higher

2. Introduction What is London Higher? London Higher is a membership organisation that promotes and acts as an advocate for Londons higher education, representing over 40 publicly funded universities and higher education colleges in London Birkbeck, University of London* Brunel University City University Conservatoire for Dance and Drama Courtauld Institute of Art* Goldsmiths, University of London* Guildhall School of Music and Drama Heythrop College, University of London* Imperial College London Institute of Education* Kings College London* Kingston University London London Business School* London Metropolitan University London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine* London South Bank University Middlesex University Queen Mary, University of London* Ravensbourne College of Design and Communication Roehampton University Rose Bruford College Royal Academy of Music* Royal College of Art Royal College of Music Royal Holloway, University of London* School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London* St George's, University of London* St Mary's University College,Twickenham Thames Valley University The Central School of Speech and Drama* The Institute of Cancer Research* The Open University in London The Royal Veterinary College* The School of Pharmacy, University of London* Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music & Dance University of the Arts London University College London* University of East London University of Greenwich University of London* University of Westminster *Colleges of the University of London

3. Highly Skilled London Grant Thornton Report (May 2008) A strategy for increasing higher educations provision of skills to Londons workforce May 2008

4. Findings Londons HEIs already have significant collaboration with Londons employers e.g. FoDegrees, research, consultancy and knowledge transfer, but this huge resource has thus far played only a small role in raising the skills of Londons workforce. London employers currently spend £2.3bn a year on HLS but only £64m (less than3%) is spent with the capitals HEIs.

5. Proposal The London Higher Business Development Unit (working title!) - a one-stop shop for advice, access, need interpretation, and CRM for employers to facilitate their greater interaction with HE A platform for HE to market itself as a workforce development solution to business, informed by labour market intelligence and an understanding of employer/sector needs

6. Why Now? LHBDU launch Spring 2010 There were skills issues before the recession and there will be again as we emerge from recession – dont believe me, believe the CBI! 21 st September 2009

7. What business wants from higher education Support from high-quality research and teaching in increasingly challenging circumstances Raise the numbers and quality of graduates in science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) Ensure all graduates have employability skills Improve the environment for university-business collaboration on research and innovation Encourage more workforce training Support diversity in the HE system to cater for an ever-wider range of student and business needs

8. Commitments which all businesses should consider Employers should provide greater financial support for new graduate recruits Business should do more to encourage the development of the skills it values in science, engineering, technology and maths. The quality and quantity of STEM graduates will improve if business provides more guidance on the content of courses, and offers more opportunities for work experience at secondary school and at undergraduate levels Undergraduates should be given the chance to undertake real-life projects as part of their degree, and more internships and sandwich placements should be provided. Business should provide guidance on the nature of employability skills in all subjects To increase overall research collaboration, business should seek to work with universities as a core part of their innovation activity Businesses should seek to engage with the HE system to develop and help finance bespoke training provision for their employees

9. Workforce Development through Employer HE Partnership The CBI/UUK report Stepping Higher set out a number of issues for universities to consider if they want to increase this area of activity. They should: Offer more flexible approaches to the delivery of workforce development programmes – running them on employer premises, outside term time, at unsocial hours, or using distance learning for part of the course Help employers identify their future skills needs and show how they can be turned into training programmes. Learners on these courses may need a different teaching approach from traditional university students Market their services better, making it easy for employers to know who to contact, and ensuring enquiries are followed through effectively Make qualification accreditation as simple as possible January 2009

10. Further Information