The Rt Hon David Lammy MP, Minister for Higher Education, visited Bournemouth on 17th December to see at first hand what is happening within the South West to tackle the issue of graduate employment. Meeting with representatives from the South West RDA (Regional Development Agency), Universities South West and touring the campuses of the Arts University College Bournemouth (AUCB) and Bournemouth University (BU), David Lammy will learn about some of the exciting initiatives that are being undertaken across the South West through partnerships between regional organisations and higher education.
Responding to the issue of graduate employment prospects in the current job market, organisations and universities in the region have initiated pioneering projects to tackle the issue.
David Lammy said: ‘There are many excellent projects underway across the country aimed at supporting graduates towards employment and I’m pleased to see for myself some of the great examples here in the South West.
It’s important we continue to build on this good work by encouraging even more collaboration between regional partners. Universities and their careers services have excellent regional knowledge and will play a key role in helping bring this about. Sharing best practice and learning from current programmes will help to influence future initiatives for graduates and target them where they’re needed most.’
A prime example of the effectiveness of such collaboration is the Graduates for Business project funded by the RDA and run by Universities South West. Aimed at developing graduate skills and increasing graduate retention in the region, the three year project has been highly successful. Through a programme of placements, training and mentoring,working with business and events and seminars, the project has placed over 700 graduates and set up over 600 business collaborations. Through the Gradsouthwest recruitment website, it has assisted over 2,350 people to get a job.
Jill Sheen, Head of Skills at the RDA said: “It is vital for the future of the region’s economy that we do not lose the talent coming from the South West’s universities. Graduates gain considerable business experience and employability skills from the experience of a placement or internship; at the same time, businesses benefit from having fresh minds in their organisations. We have a number of examples of businesses, who have never employed a graduate before, offering permanent jobs to graduates who have been on placement with them. This increases the businesses’ capacity to innovate and grow, thereby having a impact on productivity in the region.”
Another collaborative partnership that recently received commendation from the Government and the South West Regional Select Committee report on the ‘Impact of the economic downturn on the South West’ was the partnership between Jobcentre Plus and some of the region’s universities. By combining their expertise and providing specialised careers coaching courses through Bath Spa, Bristol and University of the West of England universities, the scheme aims to help the recently unemployed executive and professional sector.
Dr Deborah Watson, Deputy Executive Director of Universities South West and co-founder of the project said, ‘When it comes to re-entering the workplace following redundancy, existing resources and support networks are often not targeted at the executive level. This is particularly true in a recession. By combining the skills and expertise of Jobcentre Plus and the region’s universities, the project has clearly made a huge difference to people who would otherwise struggle to find appropriate support. This is a great example of the important role that our universities and colleges have in helping individuals and businesses respond to the downturn, form lasting profitable partnerships and retain skilled employees throughout the South West.’
The Minister saw a very tangible result of partnership working to encourage business and entrepreneurship in the Enterprise Pavilion at the AUCB. The joint collaboration between AUCB and SWRDA is a modern building offering office space to start-up businesses. Celebrating its 5th birthday this month, it has worked with over 70 businesses which have reported a 95% survival rate compared to the national average of just over 45%. With 20 businesses currently based within the Enterprise Pavilion, it is estimated that collective turnover is in the region of £2m a year.
David Williams, Head of Business and Regional Development at the AUCB commented “The AUCB’s work in supporting newly emerging knowledge based business through the Enterprise Pavilion, working in partnership with local and regional support bodies, forms an important part of its strategy of enabling talent and skills to be retained, and indeed attracted back, to the sub-region. This is key to rejuvenating the business base and building the new industries of the future.”
At BU, the Minister was shown the newly-opened Executive Business Centre located in the heart of the town’s commercial district and a focal point for executive and professional education. The Minister met with BU representatives leading the employment and skills agenda as part of Bournemouth’s Multi-Area Agreement and learn about activities led by the University which are linked to the Low Carbon Skills initiative. Bournemouth’s Commercialisation Unit will focus on graduate employability with a demonstration of the recent student-designed products that have been made market ready with help from the University.
The Minister toured the University’s world renowned Media School, taking in the UK’s first University-based HD TV studio, developed in partnership with Sony Europe, followed by an interactive session with staff and students in the National Centre for Computer Animation (NCCA).
“We’re pleased to be able to show the Minister, firsthand, how well Bournemouth University is geared to support the talents of its staff and students and working closely with local authorities and businesses to support the skills and employability agendas in our region,” said Professor Nick Petford, Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Research and Enterprise).
Going forward, the Minister was informed of the exciting projects that are being initiated in the region following designation of the South West as a Low Carbon Economic Area for Marine Energy in July 2009. An excellent example of this work is a SWRDA and Universities South West managed project, working with businesses in the sector through Regen SW and the FE sector to address the urgent need for higher level skills in this field to support the growth of a low carbon industry. This will include universities and businesses working together to develop training, science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) course and establishing graduate internship programmes.