ACCESS TO MASTERSEUROPEAN UNIVERSITY – BUSINESS THEMATIC FORUM

NOVEMBER 21 – 22, UNIVERSITY OF TWENTE, THE NETHERLANDS

Howard Burt / Stephen Davies, Swansea University

WEST WALES & THE VALLEYS

Lowest GVA of any of the UK’s regions.

ESF West Wales & the Valleys Convergence Programme:•Priority 3 Improving skills levels and the adaptability of the workforce•Theme 2 Skills for the Knowledge Economy

• The Welsh Government supports Projects that aim to provide economic and social benefit to Wales, embracing the six priority sectors set out in the ‘Economic Renewal: a new direction’ and ’ One Wales’ policies.– Information & Communication Technologies– Energy & Environment– Advanced Materials & Manufacturing– Creative Industries– Life Sciences– Financial & Professional Services

•Three new additions, (Sept 2011) • Construction, Tourism, Food & Farming

CONTEXT

• 4 Projects:– Access To Masters (ATM)– Foundation Degrees– Knowledge Economy Skills

Scholarships (KESS)– Work Based Learning

• 3 Project Leads• 10 University Partners

• 5 years of provision• Unique in that uses ESF funding for

higher skills development• All Wales approach• Shared governance and oversight• Combined project value of

£104m/€118m;• Overall target of 10,770 participants

HIGHER SKILLS WALES

The Foundation Degree Project is led by Glamorgan University.

• Provide access to Higher Education for those living in/and or working across the Welsh Convergence Area

• Raise standards in knowledge, skills and workplace competencies in Welsh businesses

• Give participants the opportunity to complete an alternative qualification to undergraduate degrees and HNDs, giving hands-on work experience and to help develop practical skills to enrich their careers

• Tailored to meet the needs of the workplace• Contribute to the Leitch review target of 40% of the Welsh population

qualified at Level 4 and above

What is a Foundation Degree?

The Knowledge Economy Skills Scholarships (KESS) Project is led by Bangor University

A portfolio of ESF supported collaborative research projects and high level skills training undertaken with businesses based in the Convergence area of Wales and linked to the 6 Welsh priority R&D sectors:

• KESS Mini (Research Masters)

• KESS Maxi (PhD)

• Postgraduate Skills Award - all KESS scholars undertake research, business and innovation skills training as part of their scholarships

What is KESS?

The Work Based Learning Project is led by Glamorgan University.

• Provide access to Higher Education for those living in/and or working across the Welsh Convergence Area

• Raise standards in knowledge, skills and workplace competencies in Welsh businesses

• Flexible delivery in small bite sized modules• Progression routes for those who want to re-enter HE• Tailored to meet the needs of the workplace• Contribute to the Leitch review target of 40% of the Welsh

population qualified at Level 4 and above

What is Work Based Learning?

Access to Masters (ATM) is a Convergence ESF programme led by Swansea University, in partnership with 7 other Welsh Universities. At the launch of this programme the First Minister of Wales, Carwyn Jones, said "Access to Masters represents a crucial step in ensuring that high calibre students are equipped with the skills required to take up employment in local businesses.”

OBJECTIVES & DELIVERABLES

• ESF supported collaborative research project with a total value of £20.5/ €24.5 million.

• Taught Masters skills training for 1305 participants.

• Linked to businesses based in the Convergence area of Wales:- Micro Companies, SMEs, Large Companies and 3rd and Public Sector Organizations are all eligible project partners

• Up-skilling participants to enter Wales’ priority R&D sectors:- ICT, Energy & Environment, Advanced Materials & Manufacturing, Creative Industries, Life Sciences, Financial & Professional Services.

• Low cost for participating companies: £1000 / €1165 p.a. ‘in kind’ contribution

HOW DOES ATM WORK ? - TAUGHT PROGRAMME

• Participating students must be resident in the Convergence Region, and be eligible to work in the region following graduation

• Minimum entry requirement BA/BEng/BSc 2:2• Taught programme of 120 UK credits over two semesters• Courses chosen/modified to fit with WG Priority Sectors• Where possible, courses include modules taught, and assessed, by external

(industrial/commercial) company staff (current or recently retired)

HOW DOES ATM WORK? - TAUGHT PROGRAMME

• Courses/modules informed by Industrial Steering Committees• External lecturers (current or recently retired industrial staff)• 30 credit Group Design Project module with Industrial supervisor• Cross-disciplinary modules for generic skills, eg entrepreneurship, strategic

project management

HOW DOES ATM WORK? - DISSERTATION

• Following successful completion of the taught element, students undertake a 3 month dissertation (60 UK credits) on a collaborative project with a sponsoring company

• Project Proposals are compiled by Company and University representatives• Participant CVs are matched with Project Proposals• The sponsoring Company must be based in the Convergence Region.

SCHOLARSHIP FUNDING STRUCTURE

60%

6%

34%

ESFCompany (in kind)University Match (staff time + overheads)

CURRENT STATUS (2009-11)

31%

5%

32%

3%

7%

21% Advanced Materials and Manufacturing

Creative Industries

Energy and Environment

Financial and Professional Services

Information and Communication Technologies

Life Sciences

CURRENT STATUS (2009-11)

14%

7%

20%

50%

9%

Charity / Third Sector

Large Companies

Public Sector

SMEs

Micro SMEs

TESTIMONIALS

“The Access to Masters Scheme has been invaluable to our business, it allowed us to understand and connect new products to new markets; opening up a new avenue of growth”Mr Ian Mortimer,General Manager, Eclipse Medical Innovations

The Access to Masters scheme has allowed Calon to benefit from the talents of bright young masters students and also the experience of their supervisors. At the same time Calon has been able to give the students an insight into the world of a cutting edge technology company and valuable industrial experience at the start of their careers. Graham FosterTechnical Director, Calon Cardio-Technology Ltd

TESTIMONIALS

I just wanted to drop you a short note on the project carried out by Roberto Morujo.Roberto made a great effort in completing this project. He has given us a good paper study of the background of data marking and given us a clear idea of what and what is not possible and he’s left us with a clear idea of what the next steps are to make something commercially viable for the company. I’ve been very impressed by Roberto’s work ethic it’s refreshing to see what can be achieved in a short time by a motivated individual.Paul Taylor, Spectrum Technologies, Bridgend

“We found the assistance offered under the ‘Access to Masters Scheme’ to be both timely and beneficial, enabling an avenue for research to be evaluated which would otherwise have not been pursued. The student was supported by very capable university staff that both facilitated the process and provided in depth technical support. We look forward to future collaborative projects.”Dr Chris Spacie, Technical Director, Morgan AM&T

TESTIMONIALS

"Acuitas Medical was the industrial partner on an Access to Master's project with a student from the Medical Physics department of Swansea University's School of Medicine. The student's project was of great benefit and interest to us in our development efforts and, along with the assistance his research provided to the company, we enjoyed the added benefit of the help and direction provided by the academic supervisor on the project. In our current product development activities, we often reference the student's (extremely well written) project report. The benefit of the project to us is ongoing also, as we hired the student into full time employment with the company immediately following completion of his degree."

Kristin James, PhD EEDirector of Clinical StudiesAcuitas Medical

• Continuation of activity post 2014• Changing how Universities engage with employers and

deliver higher-level skills• Knowledge and Skills exchange• Impact and a lasting legacy to the Convergence area• Transnational Opportunities

SUSTAINABILITY

DIOLCH YN FAWR / THANK YOU www.higherskillswales.co.uk