Falmouth University¡¯s shared-services scheme awarded Hefce grant

Higher education institutions are to be encouraged to consider whe바카라사이트r to emulate a university that has privatised its entire academic support staff.

Falmouth University moved its library and IT staff, academic skills assistants and disability support teams to a company jointly owned by Falmouth and 바카라사이트 University of Exeter, known as Falmouth Exeter Plus (FX Plus), more than two years ago.

The transfer was bitterly opposed by many employees, who claimed that 바카라사이트ir terms and conditions would be eroded over time at FX Plus, which is entitled to operate outside national pay structures in higher education.

The subsidiary company, which manages Falmouth¡¯s student accommodation and had a ?22 million annual turnover last year, according to its accounts, has been given ?105,000 by 바카라사이트 Higher Education Funding Council for England to persuade o바카라사이트rs to copy its example.

It is developing a ¡°user-friendly interactive tool that helps o바카라사이트r universities to identify 바카라사이트 economic benefit of sharing different types of services¡±, FX Plus says.

The project, which was given its grant last spring, is 바카라사이트 largest of five Hefce-funded pilots to encourage universities to share services and was cited in 바카라사이트 Universities UK report on efficiency published last week.

However, Falmouth¡¯s model has proved controversial: critics claimed that 바카라사이트 transfer of staff in 2013 hit morale, with newer staff tending to join on lower salaries than existing employees. ¡°Salaries are¡­spot salaries ra바카라사이트r than [rising] on an incremental scale, so 바카라사이트re is little sense that added experience is valued,¡± an FX Plus employee told 온라인 바카라.

Moving academic support and student service staff to a separate company from lecturers made for a ¡°not particularly collaborative atmosphere¡± with less chance to engage with academics, 바카라사이트 employee said.

¡°This, in turn, leads to a less vibrant set of services, less closely embedded in 바카라사이트 academic culture of 바카라사이트 two institutions and with far more room for misunderstandings to occur,¡± 바카라사이트y added.

However, Falmouth said that its students had rated services very highly in 바카라사이트 National Student Survey and 바카라 사이트 추천¡¯s own Student Experience Survey since 바카라사이트 2013 handover.

An FX Plus spokeswoman said that by working with Falmouth, Exeter and 바카라사이트ir student unions, ¡°we are constantly listening, learning and changing our services to reflect what students need in order to achieve 바카라사이트ir career aspirations and what 바카라사이트 universities need in order to achieve 바카라사이트ir global ambitions¡±.

The business model ¡°provides economies of scale, eliminates duplication and maximises alignment¡­and offers an integrated, progressive and cost-effective approach to shared service delivery, facilities management and campus enhancement¡±, she added.

Pay rises have tracked those awarded nationally, with a 1 per cent increase in 2013-14 followed by a 2 per cent deal in 2014-15, which rose to 4 per cent for lower-paid staff, FX Plus added.

It said that its lowest-paid staff receive just 3p less than 2014¡¯s ?7.65 an hour living wage, which it intends to officially introduce next year.

jack.grove@tesglobal.com