The National HE STEM Programme

1. The National HE STEM Programme HoDoMS Conference, Birmingham: 2 April 2009

2. Contents • 1. The HEFCE Programme & Stem Development • 2. Pilot Projects • 3. National High Level Skills • 4. National Initiatives and Organisations • 5. The Vision • 6. National Consultation • 7. Activities • 8. National Delivery: ‘Hub’ & ‘Spoke’ Model • 9. Questions • 10. Some Personal Observations

3. The HEFCE Programme • Two streams of activity: • Demand-raising and Widening Participation • Higher-level skills & employer engagement • Investment: ~£20million • Disciplines: Chemistry, Engineering, Mathematics, and Physics

4. HEFCE HE STEM Developments • Host HEI Stage – November 2008 • Development Phase – January to March 2009 • University of Birmingham (College of Engineering & Physical Sciences) submitted full proposal to HEFCE on 20 March 2009 • Implementation Phase – May to July 2009 • Delivery Phase – August 2009 to July 2012

5. To Date: The HEFCE Pilot Projects • Commissioned by HEFCE in 2005 and running until July 2009 (more maths grads to January 2010). • Four (regional) pilot projects to raise demand for HE provision: • Chemistry for our Future (RSC) • Stimulating Physics (IoP) • London Engineering Project (RAEng) • More Maths Grads (MSOR Network) • Activities to be rationalised and integrated for national roll-out.

6. A National High Level Skills Strategy • The Government’s high level skills strategy has two main goals: • to produce more, and more employable, graduates; and • to raise the skills and capacity for innovation and enterprise of those already in the workforce. Higher Education at Work - High Skills: High Value (DIUS, 2008)

7. The Origins of a National Strategy • The Leitch Report (2006) set a series of objectives for the UK by 2020: • Greater than 40% of adults should be qualified to Level 4 and above (currently 31% in 2008). • However, it states: • ‘…growth of this order [at level 4 and above] is unlikely to be achieved by trying to expand further the current model of HE…Further improvements in the UK’s high skills base must come from workforce development and increased employer engagement.’

8. The Need for Change • 70% of the UK’s workforce in 2020 has already left compulsory education. Leitch (2005) • It is recommended that there is “a rebalancing of the priorities of HE institutions to make available relevant, flexible and responsive provision that meets the high skills needs of employers and their staff.” Leitch (2005)

9. Engaging the Workforce • “Improving the progress of school leavers into higher education will be necessary but not sufficient to meet the skills needs of the future. Demographic changes mean that the numbers of school and college leavers will shortly start to fall. Latest projections suggest a drop of 16% in 18 year–olds in England between 2009 and 2020 – a fall from 684,700 to 578,300.” Higher Education at Work - High Skills: High Value (DIUS, 2008)

10. The Skills and WP Agenda • “Adults want a different type of HE experience from the traditional model, preferring to study part-time, in evenings and weekends and at a university or college close to home, and the availability of this type of study experience would overcome adults’ reluctance to consider HE and overcome difficulties in balancing work and family commitments with study.” University is Not Just for Young People: Working Adults' Perceptions of and Orientation to Higher Education, DIUS (2008) • “Higher education providers must become better at attracting these non traditional students.” Higher Education at Work - High Skills: High Value (DIUS, 2008)

11. Skills & Employer Engagement: Current Concerns • “…students tell us that they share concerns with employers – particularly about employability and the quality and availability of information, advice and guidance.” Higher Education at Work - High Skills: High Value (DIUS, 2008) based upon information from National Student Forum (2008) • More UK graduates say they feel less prepared for their jobs after graduation and say that they receive more employer-supported training in order to carry out their roles. Referenced in Brennan et al (2001) and Brennan & Tang (2008)

12. National Initiatives & Organisations • Related national initiatives & organisations: • DCSF STEM Programme • Science Learning Centres • National Centre for Excellence in the Teaching of Mathematics (NCETM) • HE Programme should not ‘duplicate work undertaken by others.’ • HE Programme activity within schools & colleges must be ‘HE-specific and bring real added value.’

13. The Vision • Good Practice: Develop innovative and transferable models across STEM areas, through the integration and strategic development of existing activities, initiatives and good practice • Embedding: Embed these models nationally to create sustainable activities • Delivery: Deliver significant and sustainable increases in the supply of graduates and trained staff equipped with the skills needed by employers

14. National Consultation Facilitation Groups Written (e-) Consultation Advisory Group Executive Group Bid Document

15. Activities of the National Programme • Two Programmes of activity: • Increasing & widening participation • Higher-level skills • Six cross-cutting themes: • Transfer & embedding • Co-ordination & communication • Innovation • Employer engagement • Sustainability • Management

16. Areas of Activity

17. National Delivery • ‘Hub’ and ‘spokes’

18. Questions for Consideration: Skills • How can any gaps or imbalances in the skills and general competencies of graduates from the mathematical sciences be best addressed? • How can the delivery of (flexible) provision to those in the workforce work best within the mathematical sciences?