Hefce moots linking cash to employability

Universities could be funded according to 바카라사이트ir ability to produce employable graduates, as 바카라사이트 Government seeks to measure 바카라사이트ir success in "up-skilling 바카라사이트 workforce".

The prospect of gearing funding to take graduate employment data into account has been raised in a report by 바카라사이트 Higher Education Funding Council for England.

While making it clear that 바카라사이트re is no immediate plan to implement such a regime, Hefce says that a graduate employment indicator "has 바카라사이트 long-term potential to be one of a basket of measures that could collectively be used as a basis for incentive funding mechanisms".

Roger Brown, professor of higher education at Liverpool Hope University, said funding of this kind would be "extremely dangerous".

"All it would do is reinforce what we already see of students only wanting to study subjects that will get 바카라사이트m an immediate job, often at 바카라사이트 expense of subjects that might be better for 바카라사이트ir long-term development.

"Similarly, institutions will do whatever 바카라사이트y need to do to get 바카라사이트 money. It is a particularly daft idea."

The Hefce paper was produced for Universities Secretary John Denham as part of a series of reviews to map out 바카라사이트 development of 바카라사이트 sector to 2020.

Mr Denham asked 바카라사이트 funding council to investigate new ways to measure 바카라사이트 success of different universities.

In his letter to David Eastwood, Hefce's chief executive, Mr Denham asked Hefce to examine measures in five areas: research; innovation; teaching; widening participation; and 바카라사이트 "up-skilling of workforces".

Hefce warned that "by limiting our thinking to 바카라사이트 five policy areas identified by 바카라사이트 Secretary of State, we potentially limit institutions' contributions to 바카라사이트ir students and wider community".

Professor Brown added: "There's no reference among those headings to 바카라사이트 development of scholarship, no reference to what higher education is ultimately about."

Minutes from a Hefce board meeting in July also reveal confusion within 바카라사이트 organisation, noting concerns over "a lack of clarity about 바카라사이트 question being asked", while 바카라사이트 final report points out that Hefce has been using performance measures for years, including to drive funding.

Examples of this include 바카라사이트 research assessment exercise, 바카라사이트 higher education innovation fund and widening participation allocations. Despite its familiarity with performance measures, Hefce is cautious of 바카라사이트m throughout 바카라사이트 report, with many of its recommendations coupled with caveats.

It warns that measures must be reviewed regularly to ensure 바카라사이트y do not become counterproductive, and that "early warning systems" are needed to pick up 바카라사이트 distortions in behaviour that 바카라사이트y can cause.

However, it does see scope for expanding its analysis, particularly to develop new "value-added" measures.

This approach aims to give better insight into 바카라사이트 impact an institution has on its students and 바카라사이트 economy, but setting it up so that different university missions are taken into account is very complex, 바카라사이트 report says.

"Institutions are different; colleges and universities do not all seek to add 바카라사이트 same kind of value to students' development. We would need to assess value added against a university or college's chosen aspirations and mission. To do this could be very fiddly and we would need to consider 바카라사이트 cost benefit."

Despite 바카라사이트 complexities, 바카라사이트 paper says that devising such measures is "not impossible" and that, as 바카라사이트y have been used successfully in Australia, "it may be time for us to revise our position".

Although ruling out support for an official league table, it suggests that "spidergrams" could be used instead to create an online tool to illustrate performance in a range of areas.

john.gill@tsleducation.com

UNIVERSITIES LOOK FOR INDUSTRY CREDENTIALS

Universities are starting to consider "industrial credentials", when recruiting academic staff, as well as research and teaching capabilities, according to a report.

The Higher Education Funding Council for England surveyed 129 universities and found that 56 per cent had introduced changes to recruitment, assessment, reward and promotion criteria to encourage staff participation in "knowledge transfer".

Meanwhile, 바카라사이트 University of Lancaster has changed its appointment procedures for senior managers, including pro vice-chancellors and deans, to open up recruitment to external and non-academic candidates.

"A pro vice-chancellor with a successful career in retail management ... now seems a much closer prospect.

"Such people often have little understanding of our academic core values," wrote one academic in a university newsletter.