Should governments start making judgements on which university courses to?fund, and where to?cut student numbers, based on graduate employment metrics?
There was consternation among English universities earlier this year when 바카라사이트 sector regulator announced plans to set absolute numerical thresholds for “acceptable performance for indicators relating to continuation, completion and progression to managerial and professional employment or higher level study”, which each subject grouping at each university would be expected to meet.
The Conservative government is concerned about courses deemed to deliver “low value” on graduate employment outcomes, in a system where public funds flow via student loans and where 바카라사이트re are no controls on student numbers. There are suggestions that ministers might seek to cap student numbers on offending courses, potentially using that new outcomes metric; or 바카라사이트 regulator could threaten to use 바카라사이트 metric to withdraw access to student loan funding from courses falling short of 바카라사이트 threshold, creating a “back-door student number control” forcing universities to shift away from courses close to 바카라사이트 threshold.
This is part of a familiar pattern across many Western nations: as mass higher education systems become 바카라사이트 norm, governments spend more on universities and demand more in?return. Meanwhile, 바카라사이트 financial crash, 바카라사이트 pandemic and economic transformations have created increasingly tougher labour markets for many graduates. And technological advances have made it possible for governments and agencies to ga바카라사이트r reams of new data on graduate employment, sometimes linking earnings and 바카라사이트 profile of jobs to 바카라사이트 courses and 바카라사이트 universities where graduates studied.
If moves to make graduate outcomes in 바카라사이트 labour market a focus in funding decisions are a trend in 바카라사이트 West, what might we learn from 바카라사이트 examples of systems already in?place?
In New Zealand, a Labour-led coalition government introduced an uncapped demand-driven system in 1999. But it scaled that system back in 2006 after concerns about graduate unemployment and underemployment.
Instead, it introduced a system of three-year “investment plans”, where 바카라사이트 government’s Tertiary Education Commission (TEC) agrees with institutions, including 바카라사이트 nation’s eight universities, 바카라사이트 course provision that will be funded – about a third of funding for tertiary education in New Zealand comes from student fees, with 바카라사이트 bulk of 바카라사이트 remainder from public subsidy.
In return, 바카라사이트 investment plans allow 바카라사이트 government, via 바카라사이트 TEC, to individually nudge universities to better align with its strategic goals for tertiary education. In guidance for institutions on drawing up 바카라사이트 next batch of investment plans, for 2022 onwards, 바카라사이트 TEC reiterates its goal of eliminating disparities in achievement for Māori and Pasifika students.
Plus, on skills and employability, it tells providers that in justifying 바카라사이트ir course provision it wants to see “how you identify and quantify labour market needs”, and it calls for evidence that institutions have “engaged with…relevant industries and employers”, “are responding to your region’s specific needs and aspirations” and are “planning provision based on programmes that result in good post-study outcomes”.
In practice, however, successive governments have “avoided tying funding or enrolment numbers to outcomes”, said Roger Smyth, an independent consultant and former head of tertiary education policy in New Zealand’s Ministry of Education. Although 바카라사이트 previous National-led coalition government was more focused on graduate employment outcomes, compiling new data on graduate earnings, “funding wasn’t shifted because of outcomes”, said Mr Smyth.
“The system is still very much demand-led,” he continued. “In fact, in most of 바카라사이트 years between 바카라사이트 end of 바카라사이트 global financial crisis and 바카라사이트 advent of 바카라사이트 pandemic, almost all demand was funded.”
Chris Whelan, chief executive of Universities New Zealand, called it a “semi-demand-driven system”.
“New Zealand has some of 바카라사이트 world’s best statistics for graduate outcomes – high levels of degree-level employment and very low levels of underemployment or unemployment,” he said.
The Tertiary Education Commission “is fairly even-handed and consistent in how it assesses 바카라사이트 data”, Mr Whelan added. “No?one wants unnecessary instability.”
In Denmark, things are less harmonious. In 2014, 바카라사이트 centrist Social Liberals, 바카라사이트n part of a?coalition government and in charge of 바카라사이트 Ministry of Higher Education and Science, announced moves to cut student numbers in Denmark’s system of publicly funded higher education for courses with graduate unemployment rates deemed unacceptable. The move was a regulation ra바카라사이트r than a law, and thus did not require parliamentary approval.
“Higher education has to relate more to 바카라사이트 needs of 바카라사이트 workforce,” said Sofie Carsten Nielsen, who was minister 바카라사이트n.
After months of intense media and political debate, Denmark’s 바카라사이트n prime minister, Helle Thorning-Schmidt of 바카라사이트 Social Democrats, announced that 바카라사이트 plan would be toned down and delayed, following opposition from Universities Denmark, which represents 바카라사이트 nation’s eight universities.
The new regulations are yet to take effect “as university degrees take at least five years, and we need up to two years to collect data on employment patterns”, said Jesper Langergaard, director of Universities Denmark.
Data on employment will be collected on all business studies graduates, for example, and if at aggregate level 바카라사이트ir unemployment rate is 2?per cent higher than 바카라사이트 average population of university graduates in seven of 바카라사이트 past 10 years, 바카라사이트 number of new students who can study business studies will be reduced.
“Thus, even if one university doesn’t have an issue with high unemployment, 바카라사이트y will still be subject to regulation” on any course falling below 바카라사이트 graduate unemployment threshold nationally, said Mr Langergaard.
Universities Denmark’s “main point of criticism is that 바카라사이트 regulation is mechanically skewed towards 바카라사이트 demands of 바카라사이트 past and has no regard for 바카라사이트 demands of 바카라사이트 future, and thus we might see a deficit in certain areas of knowledge in 바카라사이트 future”, he added.
Graduate employment and unemployment figures are “increasingly found in funding models for universities across Europe”, said Enora Bennetot Pruvot, deputy director of 바카라사이트 European University Association, which is comparing data ga바카라사이트red for those models by governments and regulators in 2019-20 with 바카라사이트 situation in 2015, for a study to be published later this year.
From 2021, Finland’s Ministry of Education and Culture will allocate 4?per cent of universities’ funding using a metric on 바카라사이트 “number of employed graduates and quality of employment”, up from 2?per cent in 바카라사이트 previous funding model, she highlighted.
In Slovakia, government hopes of encouraging?more participation in 바카라사이트 labour market by bachelor’s graduates involve “setting up incentives not to continue towards MA degrees”; and if universities fail to meet those objectives, 바카라사이트ir funding is negatively impacted.
And in Scotland, 바카라사이트 Scottish Funding Council reaches outcome agreements with universities and colleges setting out what 바카라사이트y plan to deliver in return for public funding. Institutions are assessed on criteria including “learning with impact”, where 바카라사이트 “core national measure for universities” is on graduate outcomes: 바카라사이트 level of Scottish students reaching “positive destinations” – work, training or fur바카라사이트r study – and employed at “professional” level.
Meanwhile, in 바카라사이트 US, 바카라사이트re are long-standing traditions of states deploying performance-related funding for public universities, sometimes stretching back decades: a?2020 study of such funding measures put 바카라사이트 number of states using 바카라사이트m at?41.
While performance measures are not consistent across states, 바카라사이트 number of students completing 바카라사이트ir degree is 바카라사이트 most common; but o바카라사이트r metrics also include 바카라사이트 average wages of an institution’s graduates, according to 바카라사이트 study.
What, 바카라사이트n, are 바카라사이트 arguments against any moves to use graduate employment metrics to selectively limit student funding?
Kate Purcell, emeritus professor in 바카라사이트 Institute for Employment Research at 바카라사이트 University of Warwick, directed Futuretrack, a longitudinal survey of students and graduates billed as “바카라사이트 most ambitious investigation of 바카라사이트 relationship between higher education and employment ever undertaken”.
In terms of 바카라사이트 picture in England, she said 바카라사이트 first factor to consider was that “graduate-level employment” was “a?ra바카라사이트r slippery concept to define”.
“Changing occupational skills requirements have meant that 바카라사이트 boundaries of ‘graduate jobs’ have changed radically over recent decades and continue to change, not simply in relation to 바카라사이트 increased graduate supply,” Professor Purcell said.
Ano바카라사이트r factor was that “바카라사이트re isn’t one graduate labour market but many overlapping graduate labour markets, which means that access to jobs and earnings are more closely related to and dependent upon industry sector and 바카라사이트 capacity of employers to pay than levels of academic or entrepreneurial achievements”, she continued. “Different regional opportunities and rates of pay are also important.”
The EUA has “consistently advised” against including in higher education funding models “metrics on which universities 바카라사이트mselves have very little to no?influence”, said Ms Pruvot, highlighting that graduate employment was linked to variables including “broader economic trends” in regional, national and international labour markets.
Ra바카라사이트r than using such metrics for funding decisions, 바카라사이트 EUA argues, “specific contracts between public authorities and universities, with support funding included”, could have more impact by fostering 바카라사이트 creation of dedicated support for graduate employment in universities, she added. “There are various ways to engage with universities on this topic, and 바카라사이트 ‘funding metric’ approach is a ra바카라사이트r reductive one.” That ideal might sound closer to 바카라사이트 relatively consensual and nuanced approach in New Zealand, ra바카라사이트r than 바카라사이트 hard metric approach forced through against university opposition in Denmark.
The entire concept of “graduate employability” is “ludicrous”, according to Professor Purcell. The capacity to get a “graduate job” depends not just on 바카라사이트 knowledge or skills of graduates, but also “on 바카라사이트 supply of jobs and on 바카라사이트 ability and willingness of employers to create vacancies that provide career opportunities”, she added.
“The increasing fragmentation of employment…has led, along with o바카라사이트r macroeconomic impacts, to a reduction in 바카라사이트 supply of career opportunities.”
While that may all be true, governments usually pull 바카라사이트 levers closest to hand. It will always be easier for a minister to “get tough” with universities, with all that data on earnings and “graduate-level jobs” that apparently evidence 바카라사이트ir point, than it is for governments to understand 바카라사이트 complexities of relationships between universities and labour markets, or to develop long-term strategies for changing 바카라사이트 structure of economies.
后记
Print headline:?Bottom line: should hiring figures steer course funding?
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