1. Higher-level skills Challenges and opportunities for universities
Dr Darryll Bravenboer
Institute for Work Based Learning

2. Overview Higher education policy and skills
The potential impact of HEFCE Student Number Control policy
Workforce development and employer engagement
University-business collaboration and skills
Higher Apprenticeships and universities
Employer ownership of skills
Summary of key challenges and opportunities

3. Higher education policy and skills
What is the role for universities in delivering the skills agenda?
Higher Ambitions (BIS, 2009)
Focus away from the expansion of 3 year full-time degrees
Need to provide more flexible forms of HE to meet the needs of those in work
More part-time, work-based learning, foundation degrees and higher apprenticeships
Skills for Sustainable Growth (BIS, 2010)
Skills positioned as almost exclusively an FE issue
No acknowledgement of a role for universities in workforce skills development
Very limited recognition of university qualifications as a means to accredit skills
Fleeting mention of Higher-level apprenticeship, then only at level 4
Students at the Heart of the System (BIS, 2011)
Higher-level vocational provision largely positioned as the remit of FECs
Higher-level apprenticeships hardly mentioned - not associated with universities
Little mention of workforce development activity
Unlimited market for high-achieving traditional A-level entrants to university (AAB+)
A ‘margin’ market for HE at sub £7.5k

4. The potential impact of HEFCE Student Number Control policy
Some results from the consultation on SNC and teaching funding in 2013/14 and beyond
Government funding priorities – High-cost subjects, vulnerable subjects, WP, specialist institutions, postgraduate provision
Fds and HNDs progressions will not count as extra in SNC - but Cert HE/Dip HE/HNC will
New AAB+ equivalence - Access to HE Dip, Cambs Pre U, Advanced Dip, BTEC National Early Years
Small ‘Core’ numbers retained – to allow selective HEIs to include non-AAB+ students, contextual information to meet Access Agreement requirements
Equality – “There continue to be concerns over the potential implications of the SNC policies and their implementation for equality and diversity” (HEFCE, 2012/19)
“Since disadvantaged students are more likely to take vocational qualifications…these students would not form part of HEFCE’s uncontrolled population, and would therefore face greater competition for places from institutions’ core numbers” (HEFCE, 2012/19)
Part-time (0.25 FTE intensity etc) not included in the SNC but supplement to be removed

5. Workforce development and employer engagement
£148m public investment - £103 capacity and infrastructure, £45m delivering CF ASNs
HEFCE Workforce Development (WFD) Programme objectives
20k CF ASNs, 100k Fds by 2010/11 – both met
To test employer demand – increased but concern post CF ASNs and new fees regime
Institutional change – Some individual HEI strategic change but limited sector impact
Widen access – evidence of WP – 51% of CF learners had no prior level 4
Build capability and capacity for WFD - eg ‘standalone’, ‘hub and spoke’ ‘distributed’
Inform policy – policy shift withdrawal of CF ASNs, new AAB+/Core and Margin regime etc
HEFCE evaluation recommendations summary
Active executive leadership, support and accountability required
Build strategic collaborative partnerships with employers and other providers to sustain a ‘pipeline’ of employer demand
Innovate flexible and responsive WFD delivery, costing and pricing and incentivising staff
HEFCE £12m WFD Transition funding
Adapt to new HE reforms - efficiencies, full cost recovery, PT loans, Higher Apprenticeships etc

6. University-business collaboration and skills
Some forms of collaboration related to skills development in the Wilson Review
In company up-skilling of employees
Bespoke collaborative degree programmes
Higher-level apprenticeships
Developing curricular to meet employer needs
“The curricular of degree programmes within a university are designed by the academic staff of that university. It is a fundamental role of academe…This is a non-negotiable situation.”
Professional body “accreditation constrains further the freedom on the academic staff to design the degree programme – it adds a further layer of prescriptive curricular requirements”
(Wilson Review, 2012, p41)
Recommends that SSC kite-marking be included in KIS
Support for Fds, Higher Apprenticeships and work-based qualifications
“Work-based learning pathways to higher qualifications have the potential to be a prominent feature of the HE landscape addressing some of the long-term skills needs of employers and the aspirations of individuals” (Wilson Review, 2012, p46)

7. Higher Apprenticeships and universities
Apprenticeships in 2010/11
c68k Advanced Apprentice achievements in 2010/11, if c50+% want to progress to HE = c34k apprentices seeking progression to HE
Only c6-13% do progress (Smith and Joslin, 2011)
SASE published in 2011 – Higher Apprenticeships at levels 4 and 5
Broad range of qualifications – QCF Dip at level 4 (37+ credits) to Fd at level 5 (240 credits)
Emphasis on QCF qualifications no mention of FHEQ (NB: Fd included)
Requirement for Guided Learning Hours rather than ‘study hours’ related to credit volume
Inclusion of ‘integrated’ quals but separate assessment of ‘technical knowledge’ and ‘competency’
Higher Apprenticeship Fund - £25m over two bidding rounds
30 projects funded in total - 2 x HEIs, 9 x FECs, 5 x PTPs, 4 x employers, 10 x SSCs
NAS issues for universities – “50% of training costs”, SFA/HEFCE, “Fds are ‘knowledge’ qualifications”, ‘HA or university’ marketing
HAs at degree levels SASE consultation – qual(s) size, FHEQ/QCF, Prof recognition, Level 6 and 7, plus requirements for ERR, PLTS, Functional Skills

8. Employer Ownership of Skills
“For employers collectively to own the skills agenda, public expenditure should shift from provider grants to incentives and investments which flow through employers into a single market for skills development”
“We want to encourage employers to take the lead in designing, developing and delivering the training and employment solutions they need”
“The benefit of employer ownership is that it will create the conditions for employers employees, colleges and training providers to step up and take responsibility for skills” UKCES 2011
£250m total Employer Ownership of Skills fund
1st round of funding - £67m allocated to 34 projects
11k apprentices
27k non-apprenticeship vocational training work experience opportunities
49k other learning and training opportunities
What are the opportunities for universities here?

9. Summary of key challenges and opportunities
Universities largely excluded from the skills policy discourse, with ‘skills’ seen as an FE/employer matter – how can universities change/challenge this?
Strong incentives for universities to become more selective to enhance their share of the AAB+ market – how can the potential limit on access to vocational HE be mitigated?
Shift away from significant change in the nature of university provision to meet employer needs – where does this leave WFD activity within university missions?
Tension in terms of the ownership of the design of HE qualifications to address skills needs – Can collaborative models be established to overcome this?
Significant mixed messages regarding university engagement with HA development – Is there a specific leadership role for universities with WFD expertise in HA development?
A once in a generation opportunity to align university qualifications with professional recognition through degree level apprenticeships – How can universities help realise this potential?