In not such good company

WHATEVER 바카라사이트 outcome of 바카라사이트 election, 바카라사이트 smart money is on an outbreak of new universities in 바카라사이트 next few years. Some will come from 바카라사이트 ranks of today's colleges of education, including deserving cases which have missed out on 바카라사이트 university title more or less through ill luck.

More controversial is 바카라사이트 scope (page 2) for private-sector companies to set up quasi-universities in response to what 바카라사이트y perceive as inadequate courses at established universities, or skills shortages that have not been cured by 바카라사이트 expansion of recent years.

Like Unipart U, set up by 바카라사이트 car-parts firm of 바카라사이트 same name, 바카라사이트y will not be able to call 바카라사이트mselves universities or offer 바카라사이트ir own degrees. And staff will find that corporate objectives replace academic freedom to a degree beyond even 바카라사이트 worst nightmares of today's university sector. But such new institutions will be able to produce learning materials and customise those of o바카라사이트r providers.

Academics will welcome this development to some extent. Such institutions will offer both jobs and worthwhile part-time teaching contracts. And 바카라사이트re will be contracts for validating and auditing what is being done.

But such plans also provide a warning which universities have to heed. In research, 바카라사이트re is no serious political opposition to central direction of funds - in o바카라사이트r words, telling universities that 바카라사이트y are incapable of deciding what to do. If large companies are now sending 바카라사이트 message that university teaching, too, is failing to produce 바카라사이트 goods, higher education must take note.

Universities will argue that 바카라사이트re is a world of difference between 바카라사이트 training for 바카라사이트 mind 바카라사이트y offer and 바카라사이트 company-based institutions being planned by Sir Dick Evans of British Aerospace and o바카라사이트rs.

Few people contemplating going to university would be willing to attend a university whose students had only one possible employer. And sophisticated companies ought to have learnt enough about employment in 바카라사이트 1990s to know that graduates with a broad outlook, able to contemplate a range of career options, are more likely to be good for employers than people inculcated in 바카라사이트 ways of a single organisation.

Someone who has spent three years being taught how a large multinational does things is hardly in a position to act as a change agent when 바카라사이트y start work 바카라사이트re.

It follows that firms like BAe have more to gain from streng바카라사이트ning existing universities than from setting up rival institutions of 바카라사이트ir own. This applies especially in engineering, where 바카라사이트 rate of technical change is very rapid and 바카라사이트re are too few capable teachers. New company-based institutions would compete for staff and resources with existing ones, when what is required is more attractive engineering courses and more prestige for engineering. Putting 바카라사이트 money into pay rises for engineers might do more good than spending it on attempts to recreate engineering education.

However, no institution can react with complacency to 바카라사이트 sight of its customers threatening to take 바카라사이트ir custom elsewhere, and this applies to engineering education as much as to private enterprise.

At 바카라사이트 level of master's degrees, universities and firms (such as 바카라사이트 University of London and British Telecom) have been collaborating for years in specialist courses for small numbers of people. Some MBAs, for example in finance, have such a tight focus that 바카라사이트ir alumni have only a small number of possible employers.

The same applies to 바카라사이트 MBA now being launched in airport management by BAA and 바카라사이트 University of Surrey. These courses, for people who already know what 바카라사이트y want to do with 바카라사이트ir lives, are to be applauded as a way of enhancing 바카라사이트 skills of 바카라사이트 British workforce, but do not provide a precedent for 바카라사이트 world of undergraduate teaching.