16 - Ireland - Educational/vocational guidance, education/employment links
Educational/Vocational Guidance
Institutions
vary in the guidance offered to students. It is usual for all students
to be assigned to a member of the academic staff of an appropriate
department to act as personal tutor. The tutor may arrange to see the
student at regular intervals, and the student may at any time approach
the tutor for guidance.
All institutions make provision for career guidance for students who wish to take advantage of it.
In
June 2000, the then Department for Education and Employment (DfEE)
asked Professor Sir Martin Harris to lead a review of careers services
run by universities and higher education colleges in England. The need
for a review was based on the recognition that some careers services
operated at the margins of the life of the institution, with
insufficient influence on students and their preparation for working
life. The goal was to identify ways in which the performance of careers
services could be improved, leading to a better service to their
customers. The final report, which contained 41 recommendations, was
published in 2001 (DfEE, 2001). Following this, guidance was published
(Universities UK, 2002) to enable higher education institutions to
develop their careers education policies in accordance with the
recommendations of the Harris review. A further report was published in
2005 (DfES, 2005c) which reflects the importance of careers education,
information and guidance within the strategic priorities of all higher
education institutions. It highlights the significant contribution made
by careers education, information and guidance activities within other
key policy agendas, such as employability, work-based learning and
personal development planning, and tracks the many changes which have
taken place in this field since the Harris review.
Education/Employment Links
No higher education qualification gives automatic right to employment in a given profession.
Sandwich courses
are the traditional means for students to combine coursework with work
experience, but many higher education institutions now offer
opportunities for students to gain work experience as part of their
degree. Institutions also provide courses for employers such as
professional updating or in-service professional training. Many
employers regularly visit higher education institutions to give
students the opportunity to discuss possibilities for employment.
The Department for Education and Skills (then
responsible for higher education) published a five year strategy (DfES,
2004x) for England, stating that:
‘We need to build broader and
deeper links between higher education and employers. Higher education
contributes over £34 billion to our economy and supports over half a
million jobs. These links need to cover the application of research to
innovation and enterprise; the engagement of employers in expanding and
developing new foundation degrees; and partnership between higher education and employers to meet the ever-growing advanced skills needs in the workforce.’
The
Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) also encourages
higher education institutions to seek out opportunities for engagement
with business, the public sector and the wider community. HEFCE
supports this by:
- laying
the foundation for a permanent third stream of funding (so called
because it supports the third element of a higher education
institution’s mission alongside teaching and research) covering a
number of years, allocated to promote and support a basic level of
activity in most or all higher education institutions, and enhanced
activity in some.
- facilitating the
development of an overall strategy and a common funding regime with
government departments, partners and other agencies
- encouraging and supporting higher education institutions to seek, create and develop new markets and opportunities
- supporting the development of staff within higher education institutions to take full advantage of these new opportunities.
The
Higher Education Innovation Fund (HEIF) is a partnership between HEFCE
and the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS). It
supports institutions to engage in a broad range of activities with
business, public sector and community partners.
In 2003 HM
Treasury, the then Department for Education and Skills and the then
Department for Trade and Industry published a review (HM Treasury,
2003), which made a series of recommendations aimed at smoothing out
the path between Britain’s strong science base and the business
community. The recommendations include:
- A greater role for the Regional Development Agencies in facilitating knowledge transfer in their regions.
- A
new funding stream for business-relevant research, along with increased
and improved 'third stream' funding for knowledge transfer.
- Universities
to develop a code of governance and to demonstrate good management and
strong performance in return for a lighter regulatory touch from
government and the Funding Councils.
- Development of model contracts and a protocol for intellectual property (IP) to speed-up IP negotiations.
- Encouraging
new forms of formal and informal networks between business people and
academics, including the establishment of a business-led research and
development employers’ forum.
- Universities
to provide more information on student employability, and businesses to
take a greater role in influencing university courses and curricula.
The
review concluded that investment in third stream funding had been
successful in generating culture change and increasing the capacity and
effectiveness of knowledge transfer between higher education and
business. At the same time the review noted that continued funding was
critical to embed the change, increase the flow of knowledge and
further develop the capabilities and commitment in the sector.
In
England, the graduate apprenticeships initiative was announced by the,
then, Department for Education and Employment (DfEE) in 1998 in the
Green Paper ‘The Learning Age’ (GB. Parliament. HoC, 1998). Graduate
apprenticeships are sector-specific frameworks which integrate study at
degree or diploma level with structured work-based learning focused on National Vocational Qualifications (NVQs),
NVQ
vocational units and key skills units. The aim is to enhance entry into
the labour market through a framework of learning opportunities.
The higher education funding bodies are seeking to
involve employers in the development of new programmes and types of
programme, such as foundation degrees and New Technology Institutes (NTIs). NTIs have been set up by consortia of higher education institutions,
further education colleges
and private sector organisations, with support from the Higher
Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE). They offer a range of
employment-related courses, including some at higher education level.
NTIs are intended to meet regional needs for: increasing the supply of
people with technician and higher-level skills in information and
communications technologies (ICT) and other advanced technologies; and
making available better advice and support to small and medium sized
enterprises (SMEs), through improved links with higher and further
education, on the effective adoption of new technology and innovative
business practices.
Eurydice - the information network on education in Europe
Date: 2009
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