Judith Smith, Jane Kettle, Employability and Employee Learning, Higher Education Academy

 Developing partnerships with employers and provision for higher level learning in the workplace poses new and exciting challenges for institutions  This session will share some of the learning, challenges and solutions from nine projects that explored various aspects of quality workforce development provision  Discussion -how academics can get involved in HEI partnerships with employers and workforce development

 Working with employers to increase the quality and/or the quantity of higher education provision  Working with employers to enhance the employability and skills of our students, including those already in employment

 2006 Leitch Review  2009 Higher Ambitions (Framework for HE)  2010 CIHE/SWHLSP Strategies for Effective HE-Employer Engagement  2010 Browne Review

 HEFCE/QAA Joint Task Force 2007  Implementation of recommendations of Report of 2008  Joint Academy/QAA /fdf partnership work  Highlighting good practice on managing quality of provision disseminated across the sector  Support from QAA ‘Employer responsive provision survey: a reflective report’  Development of ‘Demonstrator’ projects (highlighting key learning emerging from the projects)

 What is employer responsive provision?  General considerations in assuring quality and standards in such provision  Setting up employer responsive provision  Teaching learning and assessment in this context  The use of academic credit in employer responsive provision

 The demonstrator projects encompass a range of issues relevant to the sector  9 leads, 21 HEIs, 2 LLNs, 1 FEC, several employers contributed to the projects  Designed to draw out exemplar approaches to tackling key issues  Designed to be read alongside the QAA report  Will be available on ‘EvidenceNet ’

 Managing employer and HEI partnerships to maintain quality and standards  Rapid response and fit for purpose solutions for employers, which maintain standards  Maintaining HE standards in accredited in- company training  Designing, accrediting and assuring bite size provision

 Assessment, including use of external examiners, Boards, roles for employers  Determining the volume of credit for negotiated learning  Achieving equity and consistency by quality assuring APEL  Supporting employer-based staff and academics who contribute to academic awards on workforce development provision  Supporting workplace mentors

 Demonstrator projects provide guidance on a range of scenarios  A rich picture of good practice is emerging from which to draw on guidance and support in developing systems and infrastructure  HEIs can learn from adaptations in providing employer responsive provision to benefit the institution as a whole  Employers may or may not be interested in supporting QA but will be familiar with requirements of providing quality products

 Systems and processes can be flexible without damaging quality  Managing learner/employee identity – finding ways to support HE learning culture and support employer requirements  How to ensure transfer of theory into practice – pedagogical issues- new learning, the creation of new knowledge, staff development, application of learning in workplace

 Many students of the future are likely to be employees first and foremost  The work-place is a context for learning and applying new knowledge- where does the campus fit in?  Learning enhances the individual’s skills and career progression but also meets employer need for workforce development – what role can and should HE have in this equation?

 What’s in it for employers and HEIs?  Maintaining HE quality/maintenance of standards as it extends its employer responsive provision- is HE open to consider new approaches to LTA?

Forthcoming publications- online, hard copy  University management of work-based learning  Quality and responding to employer needs On-line only  Work-based Learning Guide – discipline related development  Learning from Experience in Employer Engagement  Synthesis of research of technology enhanced learning in the area of EEL. For more information visit:

 How can HE develop a new constituency for the future in terms of workforce development?  There are challenges involved in developing partnerships with employers- what is the role for academics?  There are no standard or comprehensive solutions – how should University policies and procedures align with EE?  There may be new skills requirements for HE staff to engage- what are the issues in supporting, developing, rewarding HE staff?