Working with business to boost graduate skills
In recent months there has been increasing interest in the role of universities in assisting economic growth, writes Dr David Llewellyn, Vice Chancellor of Harper Adams University.
The position of universities as "anchors" in their local economies, and in society more generally, has been highlighted, building on the continuity provided by institutions that have been around, in some instances, for centuries.
In the fast-paced world in which we live, that continuity can make a valuable contribution in relationships with industry, where the "long view" may not always be possible. That is why a balanced relationship between universities and industry is so important, and why we have so much to learn from each other.
At Harper Adams, our relationships with industry run deep. They are part of the culture of the institution, not a recent addition.
So we welcome the focus now placed on developing graduates who are not just knowledgeable, but who know what it takes to employ that knowledge in the workplace, and to make an early and effective contribution to the success of the enterprise in which they are working. This is also why we have recently contributed to the debate via the National Centre for Universities and Business which aims to promote, support and develop university and business collaboration across the UK.
The NCUB formed a cross-sector taskforce in July 2013 to investigate the food economy, and see how further co-operation between universities and business could help provide the graduates required by the agri-food industry and how collaboration could also help tackle some of the research challenges associated with sustainable food production. Harper Adams has taken part in discussions on two themes: how to forge better understanding of the priorities and imperatives of agri-food sector businesses and universities to promote knowledge exchange; and how to meet the industry's future graduate skills requirements.
I have served as a member of the Food Economy Task Force steering group, co-chaired by Justin King, formerly the chief executive of Sainsbury's, which has brought together university and business leaders to co-ordinate the work being undertaken by NCUB to inform its policy recommendations due in the early part of 2015.
And we have been fortunate to have been able to bring representatives of the NCUB to Harper Adams to show them how we have tackled some of the issues that they hope to address.
Being visible to industry is part of the challenge and we have worked hard to ensure that we are seen as a valuable contributor to industry-led initiatives.
