Review of UK Business-University
Collaboration 2012 (Wilson
Review)
Dr Richard Blackwell
Deputy Vice Chancellor and
Wilson Review team member
Presentation overview
Context
Employers and skills
Graduate employment
Innovation and research
Eco-systems & locality
Summary
Wilson Review 2012
Context 1
Knowledge & innovation essential to economy
Research base strong (2nd to USA)
£1 public money leveraged £6 innovation
income (2010-11)
43% participation in Univ. (low in OECD)
BUT economy and manufacturing weak;
criticism of graduates skills; international
competition growing & social mobility falling.
Wilson Review 2012
Context 2
“…how we make the UK the best place in the
world for university–industry
collaboration”(UK Govt 2011)
4 reviews since 2003
HE as ‘Supply chain’(= more collaboration)
Competition and collaboration dynamic in UK
policy, Univ. and business practice
Wilson Review 2012
Employers and HE
Multiple forms of engagement:
Certification (e.g. CISCO, Microsoft)
Sector Skills Council kite marking (e.g. ‘Skillset’ in
creative industries)
Professional body accreditation (e.g. engineering)
In-company progs and short courses CPD
Fully paid & sponsored courses (e.g. maritime)
‘Tight collaboration’ rare (maritime, nuclear or
individual big companies)
Wilson Review 2012
Graduate employment
About 65-70% in graduate jobs & 9%
unemployed
Imbalances
Less than 10% of students recruited by big corps
Big corporates recruitment and diversity policy
Need for greater student awareness
SME connectivity and first engagement
Importance of local networks
Wilson Review 2012
Student preparation for work
Expansion of ‘sandwich’ progs (e.g. Surrey)
Embedding work experience in courses
Paid graduate internships
Genuine, structural support
changed role for Univ careers services
curriculum role and issue of ownership
Address work readiness and access to SMEs
Wilson Review 2012
Innovation and research
‘Knowledge Transfer Partnerships’ (KTPs)
from 1980s (add ‘innovation vouchers’)
Public (HEIF) Innovation funding since 1999
50 hubs and centres since 2008
6 new ‘Catapult’ centres just created
Strategic relationships (e.g. Rolls Royce)
Intermediaries and networking key
Inter-Univ collaboration & referral systems
Wilson Review 2012
Eco-systems, locality and ‘place’
Facilitating economic growth
Enterprise Zones and Science Parks
Local Govt Action and LEPs (regional funding)
Univs- export earnings and inward investment
Overseas students
Knowledge intensive investment
Univs as ‘Anchor Institutions’ (e.g. Teeside
Uni & Middlesborough)
Wilson Review 2012
Summary 1
‘....There is no simple model of interaction; …
diverse business needs and diversity of supply
from universities leads to complexity …. The
key to improving effectiveness … does not lie
in regulation or in conformity; it lies in
diversity, information sharing, mutual
recognition and voluntary partnership.’
(from Wilson Review web site)
Wilson Review 2012
Summary 2
Enhancement is by leadership and
management to achieve better collaboration
and internal co-ordination
Report:
www.wilsonreview.co.uk
Email: Richard.Blackwell@solent.ac.uk
Wilson Review 2012