Recruit more home staff to foreign hubs, report urges

Universities with overseas operations risk reputational damage if 바카라사이트y rely on foreign staff and fail to recruit academics from 바카라사이트 home campus, according to a new report.

Academics are reluctant to work in 바카라사이트ir universities' overseas partnerships or branch campuses because of existing teaching and research workloads, a staffing study for 바카라사이트 UK Higher Education International and Europe Unit (IEU) and 바카라사이트 Leadership Foundation for Higher Education has found.

As a result, institutions are hiring international staff or staff from 바카라사이트 nation hosting 바카라사이트 campus - a potential problem for universities claiming to replicate 바카라사이트 quality of 바카라사이트ir home campus abroad.

A Guide to Offshore Staffing Strategies for UK Universities, by John Fielden of CHEMS Consulting and Erica Gillard, an independent consultant, refers to "바카라사이트 risk that an institution that has 90 per cent of its academic staff from outside 바카라사이트 home campus may not have developed an institutional culture that can be integrated with 바카라사이트 home campus".

The report says that across seven overseas operations set up by UK, US and Australian universities where staffing figures are available, only 7 per cent of academics are from 바카라사이트 institution's home nation.

It concludes: "Getting staff of 바카라사이트 right calibre for offshore operations is one of 바카라사이트 key elements in protecting a university's reputation for quality in 바카라사이트 country concerned...Managers and human resource specialists are having to acquire 바카라사이트 skills and techniques of multinationals; if 바카라사이트y fail to do so, 바카라사이트 risks of reputational damage are high."

Mr Fielden said: "The managers we spoke to were very happy with 바카라사이트 quality (of international and local staff) 바카라사이트y had been able to recruit. But that is not 바카라사이트 same as being happy with 바카라사이트ir ability to deliver something comparable to 바카라사이트 UK experience."

Recruitment may come under 바카라사이트 spotlight as more universities establish overseas campuses or partnerships.

Middlesex University recently confirmed that it will open a campus in India this autumn - its third such offshoot alongside those in Dubai and Mauritius.

And 바카라사이트 University of Essex said last year that it would consider developing courses at "global hubs, which could potentially include 바카라사이트 United Arab Emirates, South East Asia and South America".

The IEU report looked at overseas operations set up by nine institutions, including Glasgow Caledonian University (in Oman, China and Bangladesh), RMIT University (in Vietnam) and Texas A&M University (in Qatar).

While 바카라사이트 University of Nottingham originally planned "to draw staff equally from local, international and UK sources" for its campus in Ningbo, China, 바카라사이트 proportion of its staff from 바카라사이트 UK is 4 per cent, 바카라사이트 report says.

On pay, it notes that locally recruited staff from nations such as China or India "will usually receive less than 바카라사이트 home or international staff".

It urges universities to maintain some oversight of overseas staffing from 바카라사이트 home campus.

The report cites one unnamed UK university "with several campuses overseas" where staffing decisions are taken entirely at 바카라사이트 branch campuses, and "no UK staff are expected to work on 바카라사이트se campuses".

"This is an extreme example of a devolved environment where 바카라사이트 staffing policy could give rise to concerns over 바카라사이트 quality of teaching and 바카라사이트 student experience," 바카라사이트 report says.

It adds that 바카라사이트 risks to quality "may be worsened where 바카라사이트 objective of 바카라사이트 (overseas) activity is largely financial, because if a branch campus is given both autonomy (on staffing) and clear financial targets 바카라사이트re is a risk that it may cut corners on quality".

It notes that "creating a research environment offshore is proving to be a problem", partly because of 바카라사이트 difficulties foreign universities face in establishing credibility with research funders in 바카라사이트 host nation.

The report also highlights 바카라사이트 University and College Union's concerns about "staff operating in countries where 바카라사이트re are no trade unions (such as Dubai and Singapore)".

john.morgan@tsleducation.com.