EXTERNAL ENVIRONMENTAL SCAN

1. EXTERNAL ENVIRONMENTAL SCAN THINKING ABOUT WHERE AND HOW TO INTERVENE

2. CRITICAL QUESTIONS • How we see ourselves influences how we take up opportunities and reduce threats • So we need to be clearer about where we are going • Which level of government do we want to engage with and for what purpose? • The capacity to influence the agenda at each level may be different • How doe we create the human capacity to support national initiatives e.g. EBE

3. OPPORTUNITIES (1) • THIRD STREAM INCOME • CPD courses (FET educators, educator upgrading, NSC subject areas, 2010) • Participation in virtual/public academies (transport, judiciary, accountancy, public sector) • Support from provincial government linked to the implementation of the MoU (transport and infrastructure, environment, social cohesion, scarce skills) • Improving throughputs (ASGISA, targeted government bursaries) • Donor funding (Institute for Performing Arts) Note: Unless take debates on cost recovery forward many of the things listed as opportunities may actually be costs

4. OPPORTUNITIES (2) • GOVERNMENT FUNDING • HESA review of student fees • Review of teaching input subsidy • Review of teaching and research development grants • Changes in the funding for clinical training • Possible Capital Development Grant (150m) • Increasing the spend on R & D to 1% of GDP • Making use of increasing funds from DST and Trade and Industry – key to science innovation

5. OPPORTUNITIES (3) 3. PG STUDENT RECRUITMENT • Exploiting new NRF chairs • New national agreements (Brazil, India, China) • Areas linked to ASGISA and the provincial Growth and Development Strategy • Increasing PG numbers due to growing differentiation in the higher education landscape • Location

6. OPPORTUNITIES (4) • STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIPS • Strengthening relationships with the provincial government and the city • OECD • Australian/other international universities linked to improving processes in priority areas • Southern African Regional Universities Association • African Leaders Forum • Presidential Working Group • Asian Studies

7. THREATS (1) • FINANCIAL • Threat to cap fees • Affordability of a UCT education • Joint Agreement • Declining returning student numbers • Reduced third stream income especially in CPD area • Escalating staffing costs as proportion of budget

8. THREATS (2) • STUDENT RECRUITMENT • Increased competition for black and PG students • Reduced number of school leavers eligible to enter HE • Sophisticated and targeted recruitment drives from other institutions • Higher cohort success rates in other institutions impacting on attractiveness of UCT • Use of HEQC audit reports by the public • Impact of HIV/AIDS • Not keeping track of factors influencing students’ choice of institution

9. THREATS (3) • STAFF RECRUITMENT • Competition for meeting employment equity targets • Better packages/scholarships for junior staff from other institutions • Cost of housing in CT

10. Threats (4) • Emigration of graduates • Political instability in the Western Cape

11. OTHER HIGH LEVEL EXTERNAL TRENDS/ACTIVITIES Academic planning environment • Imminent gazetting of the HEQF • Finalisation of the NQF Review (Trade and Occupation Quality Council) • Pressure from students to implement the recommendations of the HE Language policy task team State Steering • Impact of the external audits • Investigation into institutional autonomy and academic freedom • Impact of the work of the Presidential task Team on HE