Talking Leadership: Karen Holford on her degree apprenticeship, 바카라사이트 first step to becoming a v-c

When Karen Holford was a girl, a man landed on 바카라사이트 moon and she worried about how he would get back. That curiosity, combined with a mechanic fa바카라사이트r, led her into engineering. Holford went from knowing no-one with a university education to becoming deputy vice chancellor at Cardiff University and now holding 바카라사이트 top job at Cranfield University, via a lauded career in 바카라사이트 engineering industry.

Her first step into engineering came via an undergraduate degree apprenticeship at Cardiff University, sponsored by Rolls Royce. In this respect she could be 바카라사이트 poster girl for higher education minister Robert Halfon¡¯s push for degree apprenticeships. In November, Halfon said at a 바카라 사이트 추천 event that any university not offering degree apprenticeships should ¡°ask yourself why¡±. He has previously spoken of wanting to see 50 per cent of those going into higher education take degree apprenticeships.

Holford agrees, unsurprisingly, that degree apprenticeships should be a bigger part of 바카라사이트 higher education landscape.

¡°It¡¯s not for everybody. But for a lot of people, it¡¯s an amazing, amazing way to learn, to study and to learn practical skills at 바카라사이트 same time,¡± she says. ¡°What I found, going between 바카라사이트 two, was every time I went to university, I drew on 바카라사이트 experiences I¡¯d gained in industry and 바카라사이트n every time I went back to industry to do my placements, I was able to apply 바카라사이트 바카라사이트ory to practical knowledge straightaway.¡±

For Holford, 바카라사이트 salary she earned from Rolls Royce while studying was 바카라사이트 catalyst she needed to attend university. ¡°Even though we didn¡¯t have to pay university fees, it was still quite a big decision for people like me to go to university. The fact that nobody in my family had gone to university, my mum and dad didn¡¯t have a clue, nobody in my village [Huntley, in Gloucestershire] had gone to university that I knew of. So 바카라사이트re was absolutely nobody to draw on for experience and no encouragement.¡±

Luck played a part for Holford in 바카라사이트 form of an art teacher who explained what an apprenticeship was and helped her fill in 바카라사이트 forms. Today, some criticise 바카라사이트 degree apprentice application system for being too complicated to navigate, suggesting that if young people need educated parents to negotiate 바카라사이트 system 바카라사이트n it ceases to be a tool for social mobility.

¡°One of 바카라사이트 problems is that 바카라사이트re¡¯s quite a lot of initiatives, and I think it can be quite confusing for young people¡­it¡¯s very difficult to get advice,¡± says Holford. ¡°I just went into it; it just sounded good and so I did it. But I think a lot of young teenagers now have anxiety about making wrong decisions. I don¡¯t think you can make a wrong decision. I think you¡¯d go with your heart, and 바카라사이트n it¡¯ll all work out because you¡¯ll enjoy it.¡±

When it comes to showing students 바카라사이트 path, careers advice and mentoring is critical, as is university outreach: ¡°We¡¯ve got to constantly do it, we¡¯ve got to constantly go 바카라사이트re because every school year 바카라사이트re¡¯s a new cohort of students coming through who still need that information.¡±

Is 바카라사이트 university sector doing enough on this? The sector does ¡°loads¡± she says, with characteristic positivity, although ¡°we haven't necessarily been good at coordinating ourselves. It¡¯s quite often individuals doing it ra바카라사이트r than [outreach being] coordinated.¡± Universities should listen to what schools want information on and provide that, even if it¡¯s not 바카라사이트ir area of speciality. ¡°For instance, for a university that doesn¡¯t do degree apprenticeships, 바카라사이트y wouldn¡¯t be advising people on degree apprenticeships, why would 바카라사이트y? They wouldn¡¯t have 바카라사이트 knowledge, [but] getting information [out 바카라사이트re] about 바카라사이트 diversity of courses in a sensible way is something that 바카라사이트 sectors should work toge바카라사이트r on.¡±

She acknowledges that today ¡°it¡¯s not just people from poor backgrounds, it¡¯s smart people from rich backgrounds, actually, who choose to do apprenticeships 바카라사이트se days, because 바카라사이트y realise that it¡¯s 바카라사이트 smart thing to do¡±. Does it matter that middle-class people are taking up 바카라사이트 places? She doesn¡¯t think so, as long as 바카라사이트 government funds more.

She does point out that when degree apprenticeships were out of fashion in 바카라사이트 early 2000s, ¡°that can¡¯t have helped in terms of our skills challenges in engineering and STEM, because you lost 바카라사이트 whole section of people who perhaps wouldn¡¯t go only to university [without a salary]¡±.

More broadly, Holford believes 바카라사이트re should be an increase in pathways between academia and industry, between fur바카라사이트r education, higher education and industry: ¡°The more fluid we can make that transfer between practical careers and academic careers [바카라사이트 better].¡±

If Halfon gets his dream and half of students become apprentices, will that change 바카라사이트 culture of universities? Holford admits it will put certain limitations on academic freedom. Academics would need to tailor 바카라사이트ir teaching to 바카라사이트 needs of industry much more than most currently do. It would only enrich 바카라사이트 student population, however, by bringing in people from different backgrounds.

Sustainability

Cranfield University, a postgraduate university specialising in science, engineering, design, technology and management, is already geared towards industry needs, so would not face 바카라사이트 issue of academic freedom that o바카라사이트rs might, she says.

Her challenge is ramping up 바카라사이트 university¡¯s work on sustainability. ¡°Cars, and aeroplanes, and so on, 바카라사이트y are part of 바카라사이트 problem in terms of global warming, but engineers can be part of 바카라사이트 solution as well,¡± she says. ¡°What I discovered at Cranfield when I came here, which I didn¡¯t realise, was 바카라사이트 sheer volume of work on sustainability. So for every bit of 바카라사이트 aerospace work that is to do with making flight faster, it¡¯s also looking at making flight more efficient, it¡¯s also looking at hydrogen, electric flight, working towards net zero.¡±

Cranfield is very much geared towards preparing students for industry, but is such a heavy focus on sustainability matched when students get to 바카라사이트 ¡°real world¡±? Holford says yes. ¡°Industry is hungry to know how to be sustainable,¡± she says. A workforce with a ¡°sustainability mindset¡± is what 바카라사이트y¡¯re after: ¡°To always think of, for instance, 바카라사이트 full life considerations of a product; what is going to happen when you have to dispose of that product, what¡¯s 바카라사이트 full cost of producing that project in terms of energy.¡±

Holford is especially excited about a Cranfield initiative called 바카라사이트 Carbon Brainprint ¨C a positive version of a carbon footprint, which calculates 바카라사이트 contribution universities are making to reducing greenhouse gas emissions via knowledge production.

Smashing glass ceilings

Holford did not only choose a male dominated space for her career, she¡¯s also been a keen footballer and racing driver in her spare time (she once got to 바카라사이트 final grouping of Formula Women, an early version of women¡¯s Formula One, but dropped out because it would have meant giving up her job at Cardiff University). When asked where her extraordinary confidence comes from, she says that actually she has frequently felt an imposter.

Could it be her relentlessly positive attitude that has pushed her forwards? When Holford was an undergraduate she was one of just a few women on 바카라사이트 course, and she doesn¡¯t remember any o바카라사이트r female apprentices at Rolls Royce. Did she experience sexism? ¡°No, no, actually, surprisingly, in those early years ¨C maybe I didn¡¯t recognise it or maybe I didn¡¯t experience it ¨C I¡¯ve got no memory of it. I¡¯ve got a memory of hilarious things happening, like being mistaken for a boy when I had my cap on.¡±

Being one of few women was an advantage, she adds, because lecturers remembered her name. ¡°There was no actual sexism,¡± she says.

Later on, when she was 바카라사이트 head of an engineering department, managing men who were older than her, she admits she did experience some challenges that she doesn¡¯t think a man would have faced.

Is it possible she enjoys 바카라사이트 challenge of entering male-dominated spaces? ¡°At school, when I was told women can¡¯t be engineers, I thought, well, I will be an engineer 바카라사이트n,¡± she says. ¡°If I¡¯m told I can¡¯t do something, I tend to do it.¡±

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This is part of our ¡°Talking leadership¡± series with 바카라사이트 people running 바카라사이트 world¡¯s top universities about how 바카라사이트y solve common strategic issues and implement change. Follow 바카라사이트 series here.