A Corporate Education · Issue 867, by Jess Best

Businesses will help to fund 20 000 university places as part of the government’s ongoing plans to improve people’s skills in the work place.

Following complaints from employers that students are graduating from university without the skills they need in the job market, and increasing competition from countries like China and India, ministers have pledged to develop a “high skills economy”, with universities and businesses forging a closer relationship.

The 20 000 university places are likely to go to people already in work rather than the traditional sixth form student.

The move follows announcements from companies including Tesco and Macdonald’s that they will be running their own degree schemes, showing the lengths that businesses will go to to get the graduates that they want.

Companies who provide funding for the Employer Engagement scheme would have more say in the way university courses are designed to produce students with the specific skills set that they require.

The programme is also asking higher education institutions to increase the number of work placements on degree schemes, and for companies to provide sustained career advice throughout students’ study.

The government says it aims to increase the number of workers with high level skills from 31% to 40% by 2020.

£150 million will be invested over the next three years as the government continues to remodel the high education system.

Higher education minister Bill Rammell said: “There is latent demand for higher level skills within the workforce but releasing it will require changes to the design, delivery and funding of learning to be more responsive to employer needs.”

However, Sally Hunt, General Secretary of the University and College Union voiced concerns that corporate interests would begin to compromise the way universities run their degree schemes.

“The most effective way for universities to contribute to our society and economy is by allowing them to retain their principle missions as places of research and scholarship” she said.

“Affording the private sector a major say in the curriculum today will mean less innovation and invention for tomorrow as university staff are forced to prioritise policy that focuses purely on the numbers game.”