A CHANGING SOCIETY
CBI: 50 Years of Business Innovation | chapter name
“Of all the changes that have taken place over the past 50 years, the transformation of Britain as a society has been one of the most dramatic�
Katja Hall The political rollercoaster Education and skills Work and employment Demographics and public services Amey Acca Asda Association of Colleges The British Display Society Ealing, Hammersmith & West London College Circle Housing Construction Industry Training Board Estuary Housing Association Prospects College of Advanced Technology Great Place to Work Hays Institute of the Motor Industry
A CHANGING SOCIETY
CBI: 50 Years of Business Innovation | A changing society
Being part of the solution to society’s challenges Katja Hall Deputy director-general of the CBI
A couple of years ago, the BBC screened Life on
of labour relations, with disputes between the
innovation where employees can take time away
Mars, a television series based on the idea of a
two sides seen as a zero-sum game. During the
from the daily routine to develop new ideas.
police detective who, after suffering near-fatal
1970s, 12.9 million days were lost, on average,
Another important element of change in the
injuries in a car crash, awakes to find himself
each year to industrial action.
workplace is the focus on diversity and inclusion. British society has become more inclusive over the
living in 1973. It shows starkly the UK of four decades ago through the eyes of a modern-day
Partnership culture
years, and employers have worked hard to keep
Briton: a hierarchical society, traditional work
Fast-forward to 2012, and the relationship
pace with these changes in the way they recruit
environments, smoky offices, a male-dominated
between employers and employees is far more
and retain staff – helping to cement this inclusivity
world and some racist overtones.
positive. Just 248,800 working days were lost
as the society norm in the process. There has
Of all the changes that have taken place
in the UK from labour disputes. A culture of
been a radical change in the way that employers
over the last 50 years, the transformation of
partnership is one of the huge positives to
accommodate individual workers’ needs. In the
Britain as a society has been one of the most
emerge out of the labour-market reforms of the
past, a discussion about equality might have
dramatic. Not all of these battles have been won
1980s and 1990s. Allied to that is a shift from
focused narrowly on part-time working for mothers.
conclusively just yet, but if a senior business
collective to individual engagement between
Now the debate is about flexibility for both men
leader from 1965 was to be transported five
managers and workers, and the sense that it is
and women, about the gender pay gap and equal
decades into the future, they would doubtless
better for that communication to be direct and
pay, and about rights for part-time workers more
be bewildered by the changes that have occurred
personal rather than indirect and confrontational.
broadly. It’s also about widening access to work.
in UK society. Some of the most important
This communication also helps to drive
Four years ago, we published a major report
changes have taken place in the world of work.
business forward. Modern employers are keen
called Room at the Top, which aimed to help ensure
And although he – and it would almost certainly
to hear suggestions from employees on ways
that more women who have the ambition, desire
be a he – might recognise the players on the
of improving the products and services the
and talent make it to the top. Coming just after
pitch, the way they play the game would
company offers. Many companies now offer
the global financial crisis, it pointed out how
probably take him by surprise.
opportunities for employees to innovate while
homogeneity at the top of organisations can
Trade union membership was higher back
they work. The most obvious example is
lead to narrow thinking and a lack of proper
then and there was a more adversarial climate
the hi-tech company that creates space for
challenge to chief executives. »
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Katja Hall | First person
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CBI: 50 Years of Business Innovation | A changing society
“British society has become more inclusive over the years, and employers have worked Hard to keep pace with these changes�
Katja Hall | First person
Then CBI president Helen Alexander worked
age of 82.8 and men to 78.8 – we need to face
people currently leave school with too few GCSEs
with a diverse group of company leaders and
this challenge with the same positive approach
at a high enough grade. We need an education
industry experts to build a strong consensus
as with previous changes; looking to find
system that delivers rounded and grounded
that it was the business community that needed
solutions that work to bring practical progress
young people with some work experience
to show leadership on gender diversity in the
for business and society.
under their belt. But we also need to apply more
workplace. The report raised the idea that
We are still working through the
effort to improving vocational qualifications and
companies should set targets on the number of
implications of these changes for employers
build on the success of recent governments of
women they should have on their boards. To that
and society in general. We need to do more to
expanding apprenticeship schemes to ensure
end, the CBI set its own targets of having 30 per
help people through the transition to retirement,
that employers can find the candidates they
cent female representation at its events and in
such as enabling people to work more flexibly
need to fill their vacancies, particularly for
its policy-making processes, on a comply-or-
and part-time. At the same time we need to
skilled positions.
explain basis. Just think how they would have
ensure that employers know how to operate
reacted to that in the smoky offices of yesteryear!
their personnel departments when it is less
Constructive challenge
The CBI has played an important role in all
clear at what point their loyal workers will
In all these areas – from labour relations to
these changes, and has often been at the forefront
finally retire.
rigorous education – the CBI has sought to have
of shaping the relevant terms. Over time, we have
We should not focus only on older workers.
a challenging yet constructive conversation with
sought to balance the need to represent our
At the other end of the spectrum is the large
governments of all political colours to ensure
members on issues of industrial relations with
number of NEETs – young people not in education,
ministers understand employers’ concerns.
taking account of the debates as they change.
employment or training. While the number has
The design and implementation of the national
fallen since the peak of the recession, there were
minimum wage, the debate over exceptions
Long-term questions
still 975,000 people aged 16 to 24 in that category
to the EU Social Chapter and statutory trade
While employers and politicians have successfully
last year – and they face a world where the “job
union recognition are all key areas where we
managed the transformation of the world of
for life” of previous generations is increasingly
have ensured the business voice has been
work, they now face the longer-term questions
rare. This is a major issue for society, as we know
heard. Ultimately, our shared goal is higher
raised by our ageing population and globalised
youth unemployment has an enormous impact
living standards, so as an organisation we
world. As people live far longer than they did in
on people’s long-term careers, health and well-
will continue to work to help find the solutions
the past – women are now living to an average
being. The solution starts at school. Too many
to deliver a better society.
•
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The political rollercoaster | in focus
prices led to the Winter of Discontent and the collapse of Jim Callaghan’s Labour government.
The voice of business to governments over the years
the Right to manage The 1979 victory for the Conservatives led by Margaret Thatcher was as seismic an event for business as it was for the country as a whole. The new administration came in with a zeal to foster entrepreneurship and roll back the state, and a determination to conquer inflation. While businesses welcomed the former they
The political rollercoaster
initially were taken aback by the impact of the anti-inflationary drive. The Conservatives stood firm in the face of criticism from the CBI as well as from trade unions and Labour, which had been weakened by the exodus of some of its leading figures to found the SDP. This defiance now looks like a defining moment as it heralded an acceptance by business of the free market and entrepreneurial attitude of a government that would soon start limiting the powers of trade unions, and selling off nationalised industries and council homes in a drive to give both business managers
The five decades since the founding of the CBI
meant that business organisations such as the
and ordinary people a greater stake in society.
have seen eight Prime Ministers and no fewer
CBI have to work hard to retain a reputation
“I have given you back the right to manage,”
than 12 Chancellors of the Exchequer. For most
for political neutrality while being able to work
said Mrs Thatcher at a CBI annual dinner.
of that period power passed between the Labour
effectively with whichever party is in power.
Mrs Thatcher’s decision to take on and
and Conservative parties but the 2010 Coalition
Politics and politicians may have changed
defeat the NUM in the 1984 miners’ strike proved
government heralded a new era in politics.
but the CBI has always strived to maintain good
a decisive moment in the struggle between
links with government and opposition parties.
government and business and the more militant
It was Harold Wilson, the Prime Minister at the
A study of the role of the CBI in the British
trade unions. It heralded the rolling back of union »
time of the foundation of the CBI in 1965, who
political system from 1965 to 1974 by two
famously said that a week is a long time in politics.
academics found that the CBI had good contacts
It is perhaps this distinction between the short-
with government thanks to “extensive formal
term outlook among politicians and the longer
and informal contacts” with ministers and civil
term taken by business owners and managers that
servants. Under the governments of Harold
reveals why the two do not always see eye-to-eye.
Wilson and Edward Heath, the CBI played a major
There have been nine governments and
role as one third of the “tripartite” of government,
13 parliaments over the last five decades, of
business and trade unions that, between them,
which seven have been Labour, five Conservative
took decisions on wages and economic strategy.
and one coalition – the current administration.
The twin oil price spike of the 1970s put huge
More astonishing is the fact that 28 ministers
pressure on both the Conservative administration
have held the cabinet position currently known
of Edward Heath – who unsuccessfully fought
as Secretary of State for Business, Innovation
the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) in
and Skills. This frequent change of power has
two disputes that led to the three-day week to conserve energy – and on the Wilson/Callaghan
Opposite and right: The CBI has been the voice of
governments that followed. Soaring inflation and
business in Westminster for the past 50 years, informing
demands for massive pay rises by unions in the
the likes of Callaghan, Wilson, Thatcher and Heath
face of the government’s attempt to curb rising
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CBI: 50 Years of Business Innovation | a changing society
was committed to the Social Chapter, a National Minimum Wage (NMW) and compulsory trade union recognition. While there was a greater convergence between Labour and Conservatives on the economic policy, there was also now an increased focus on social partnership. The decision by the CBI to accept a seat on the Low Payment Commission and thus influence the level and implementation of the NMW was a sign of the acceptance of a political middle ground under the Blair administration. As the economy settled into a period of steady growth and low inflation, issues such as investment in public services, infrastructure, climate change, transport and skills provided the focus for debate. The handover of power from Mr Blair to his Chancellor Gordon Brown in 2007 appeared to be a continuation of business as usual. However, the onset of the global financial crisis later that year marked an end to the political middle ground between Labour and Conservatives as the two powers in the workplace. Meanwhile the Thatcher
competitors”. As President of the Board of Trade,
parties disagreed vehemently on both the causes
era would see 10 different politicians act as Trade
Michael Heseltine set his own stamp on the
of, and solutions to, the problems.
& Industry Secretary, although all were broadly
Major government with his pledge at the 1992
Following the 2010 general election that led
behind the agenda of rolling back the state and
Conservative Party conference to intervene in
to the first coalition government in the UK since
incentivising the private sector.
industry “before breakfast, lunch, tea and dinner”.
the Second World War, the focus has been on a programme of deficit reduction and controlled
The fall of Mrs Thatcher in 1990 and her replacement by John Major enabled business
The third way
public spending, a strategy that the CBI called for
organisations to play a more central role. In 1992,
The election of a Labour government in 1997
and supported throughout. Britain is in uncharted
the CBI set up the National Manufacturing Council
after 18 years of Conservative rule under Mrs
waters politically. The rise of the UK Independence
to focus on the “key strengths and weakness of
Thatcher and John Major ushered in a so-called
Party has altered the balance of power among the
UK manufacturing industry in relation to its main
“third way” in politics and a new relationship
three main political parties. With the possibility of
between business and government. While the
another coalition government emerging from the
Above and opposite: Blair introduced an increased
policies set out by Tony Blair on taxation, inflation,
2015 general election the CBI will seek to ensure that
focus on social partnership, while deficit reduction
industry and union rights were not that different
it remains the voice of business in Westminster and
has been the order of the day under the Coalition
from the Conservatives, the new government
Whitehall – whoever resides in 10 Downing Street.
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The political rollercoaster | in focus
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CBI: 50 Years of Business Innovation | a changing society
120
Education and skills | in focus
Learning lessons for business Education and skills
In 1965 the CBI was worried about the teaching
involving a private-sector sponsor to turn around a
to reach expected levels in English and maths at
of foreign languages, teachers’ understanding of
failing school. One of the first acts of the Coalition
the end of primary school, or for 40 per cent to get
the needs of business, and a lack of science and
government was to enable all state schools to
five or more GCSEs at A*–C, accepts the fact that
technology graduates compared with the UK’s
convert to academy status, taking them out of
too many children will fail to reach those standards.
competitor countries. Plus ça change, plus c’est
local education authority control. It then enabled
In 2012 the CBI published a report, First Steps,
la même chose. While any company executive
parents and businesses to set up new schools
which highlighted evidence that raising educational
today would echo those concerns, the landscape
under the “free schools programme”.
levels to those of the best in Europe could add one
of education has gone through wholesale change
One type of free school is the University
percentage point to growth annually – or £8 trillion
over the last 50 years.
Technical College (UTC), which offers technically
during the lifetime of a child born today. Employers
oriented, vocational courses of study to 14–19
want to know that they can choose from a pool of
The year that the CBI was founded saw one of the
year-olds and has a university as lead sponsor.
school leavers who have the basic skills needed to
most dramatic reforms of secondary education
By September 2014, there were 30 UTCs around
start work. This has become especially important
in England. The Labour government required all
the country, with over 20 more set to open by 2016.
given the free movement of labour within the EU.
local education authorities to formulate proposals
In the arena of tertiary education the major
to move away from selection at 11 and to replace
reform was a 1992 Act that granted university
Transition to work
the system of grammar, secondary modern and
status to former polytechnics and higher education
One positive development has been the renewed
secondary technical schools with comprehensives.
institutions. University tuition fees were introduced
focus on apprenticeships, a form of training work
Eight years later the school-leaving age
at £1,000 a year in 1998 and were increased in
that has its historical roots going back to the
was raised to 16 and, since then, governments
England in 2004 to £3,000 and to £9,000 from 2012.
12th century. The year before the CBI was founded, the government established 10 industrial training
have implemented various reforms such as the introduction of the national curriculum and
Back to school
boards covering some seven million people across
standard assessment tests (SATs) in 1988, and
All these reforms – 35 for school systems alone
the key sectors of the time such as shipbuilding,
the launch of the Office for Standards in Education
– were aimed at ensuring young people have
wool and ceramics. Hundreds of thousands
(Ofsted) inspection regime for all schools.
a good standard of core knowledge and skills
of school leavers entered apprenticeships in
More recently there has been an explosion
and are prepared for success in life and work.
the 1960s and 1970s but the system went into
in the number of types of schools. The Labour
But many businesses believe that there is
decline in tandem with the collapse of many
government, elected in 1997 under the slogan
further to travel before those goals are met.
of the industries at which they were aimed. »
“education, education, education”, established
At secondary school level, business has been
academy schools that were primarily aimed at
concerned that setting targets for just 60 per cent
Opposite: The CBI seeks changes to the exam system
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CBI: 50 Years of Business Innovation | a changing society
The revival of apprenticeships under the
Most employers want people with intermediate
past two governments means that there were
or advanced skills. Employer demand for more
some 860,000 people on an apprenticeship in
people with higher-level skills is expected to
2012/13. All apprenticeships now routinely last
be particularly strong in the sectors that should
a minimum of one year, and include on-the-job
be leading the return to sustained economic
training. Businesses themselves invest almost
growth such as construction, manufacturing
£50 billion per year in adult learning. CBI data
and engineering, hi-tech and science.
also shows firms in key sectors maintaining and
There are signs that the higher education
even increasing skills investment through the
reforms – in particular the huge rise in tuition fees
challenging economic conditions of recent years.
– may be altering young people’s decision-making
It is clear that British workers will need to
behaviour. While applications fell across the board
have higher skills if the UK is to compete in an
in 2011/12 the subjects that held up best were
increasingly competitive global marketplace.
those more aimed at future careers such as
The fact that more than 850,000 young people are
physical sciences, engineering, computer science
unemployed points to the need to build structures
and medicine compared with humanities subjects.
that better support the transition from school to
Recent CBI surveys have shown an increasing
work and training. The CBI/Pearson Education
interest amongst businesses in working more
and Skills Survey 2014 found that:
closely with universities and colleges to deliver
• A third of firms were unhappy with levels of
more flexible, learn-while-you-earn options.
numeracy and literacy among school leavers • Almost two out of five firms needing employees
These range from sandwich courses and better part-time options through to higher
with skills in STEM subjects (science, technology,
apprenticeships and course co-design.
engineering, maths) had problems recruiting
Employers increasingly recognise that, while
• Almost half of firms wanted recruits with
some employees will have begun their career
French, German or Spanish and almost
with a certain level of education and skill, this
a third valued skills in Mandarin Chinese.
is not fixed and that in-work training is vital. Many companies highlight a shortage of “soft
Knowledge economy
skills”: the personal qualities, habits, attitudes and
A key message from that report was that
social skills not easily captured by exam grades.
businesses wanted to have greater ownership of
Education and skills are one of the most
the skills agenda: any new qualifications should
important parts of the UK’s long-term growth
be based on the needs of business and industry.
strategy. Higher standards and better levels of attainment are the essential foundation for the
Opposite: Under the past two governments the UK
economic rebalancing process and for building
has seen a revival in apprenticeship programmes
a long-term prosperous society.
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•
Education and skills | in focus
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CBI: 50 Years of Business Innovation | A changing society
124
Work and Employment | in focus
The new employment relationship Work and Employment
Years of reforms have ensured that the UK has
a time when trade unions had some 11 million
of the reformed industrial relations laws; the new
a highly flexible workforce that can respond
members – or half of the workforce – and
relationship with unions was dubbed “fairness
quickly to economic downturns while ensuring
24 million working days were lost to industrial
not favours”.
individual workers can take advantage of legal
action in 1972 alone. The miners’ strike of that
New forms of partnership between
protections and negotiate a type of employment
year had led to an era of “tripartism” which put
government, employers and unions have emerged
that suits them.
the CBI alongside the TUC in pole position for
with the National Minimum Wage (NMW) at the
negotiating pay and labour conditions across
heart of this new model of employee relations.
More people are in work in Britain in 2014 than
a host of industries through bodies such as the
Since 1999, this has set a floor for pay awards,
ever before while the employment rate for the
Manpower Services Commission.
and a Low Pay Commission (LPC), which includes
16-to-64 working-age population has now
Although that system broke down, pay,
a CBI member on its board, sets the rate.
reached the historic high achieved in 1974.
conditions and pensions were still negotiated
Prior to the LPC’s introduction there was some
This is a particularly remarkable achievement
between unions and employers’ groups for whole
concern that raising wages would come at the
coming in the wake of the global financial crisis
workforces until Margaret Thatcher was elected in
expense of job creation and higher wage inflation.
and the great recession. The reforms to the labour
1979 on a mandate to end the industrial relations
However, the balanced approach of the LPC has
market carried out over the last three decades
stand-off highlighted by the Winter of Discontent.
meant the NMW has not had negative effects on overall employment, on employment in low paying
have helped drive this success. The downturn of 2008–09 inflicted a larger
new forms of partnership
sectors, on the employment prospects of different
fall in output than any other post-war recession.
Trade union density has fallen markedly in the UK
individuals and social groups, or on employment
Yet while output fell by 7.2 per cent, the number
from a peak of 56.3 per cent in 1980 to 25.6 per
levels in different regions. The NMW, by boosting
of people in employment fell by 2.2 per cent.
cent in 2013. There are 6.14 million members in
pay at the bottom end of the labour market, also
The story is very different to the ones told in
TUC-affiliated unions, down from a peak of 12.17
contributed to the slight decrease in inequality
economic downturns over the previous four
million in 1980. In the private sector now just 14.4
between the lowest and highest earners in the UK.
decades when unemployment rose as high
per cent of workers are unionised although more
as 12 per cent and three million people found
than half (55.4 per cent) of public-sector workers
Working it out
themselves on the dole.
are in a union. In many private firms workers
Against that background there have been
The labour market into which the CBI was
engage with managers through staff meetings,
structural changes in the way labour markets »
born was one where government, employers
employee surveys and direct conversations.
and trade unions negotiated pay across industries,
Following Labour’s election in 1997 the
Opposite: Trade union activism was far more prevalent
many of which were in state ownership. This was
incoming Blair administration kept most aspects
in the 1970s, often for good reason
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126
Work and Employment | in focus
“ today’s workers increasingly look to their employers to be flexible in meeting their personal needs” work. There are a lot more people in managerial
2014 every employee has the right to request
and professional occupations, and many jobs
flexible working after the government extended
now require higher levels of skills than they
the right previously reserved for carers and those
did in the past. Technology has changed the
looking after children.
nature of work in many sectors. Mobile phones,
Financial flexibility has become an important
websites, emails and online teleconferences
feature of the workplace, not just in terms of pay
have changed the way many workers do their
deals aimed at reflecting the needs of individual
jobs and communicate with their managers.
workers but also in pensions, which have become
Many employees no longer have to be in a
an increasingly important element of reward
particular physical workspace, and have greater
packages. The defined benefit pension that was
skills than previous generations. Most people
common in the 1960s and which guaranteed a
joining the workforce now will expect to work
certain income on retirement has been broadly
for multiple employers, moving from job to
replaced by defined contribution pension where
job, whereas their 1965 counterparts might
the final pension depends on the performance
have aspired to a job for life. Today’s workers
of the assets bought along the way. This is an
increasingly look to their employers to be flexible
area that has seen much government intervention
in meeting their personal needs. That flexibility
over the years, most recently with the launch of
is an important source of the UK’s competitive
auto-enrolment and the abolition of the obligation
advantage – as was shown during the
to buy an annuity.
recent recession.
These changes have meant that employers
Flexible working in terms of both work times
have had to focus more on training and
and location is now a deeply ingrained feature of
ensuring that staff have key management
the modern workplace. Parents in particular are
skills. Against the backdrop of greater flexibility
keen to take advantage of “flexi-time” working
and individual bargaining in the labour market
arrangements that allow them to fit their shifts
on both sides, the role of the government is
in with family duties. The right to choose working
now to foster positive flexible relations based
hours is one reason why businesses and
on positive employee engagement. The CBI
government have defended the individual opt-out
has worked hard to persuade successive
from the EU Working Time Directive. Since July
governments that a positive employee relations climate is key to the success of any business
Left: Work flexibility is the key for working parents
•
and of the wider economy.
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128
Demographics and public services | in focus
Coping with a population bulge Demographics and public services
The UK population is growing while, at the same
as a growing number of families need to be
of pensioners aged 85 or older has jumped from
time, Britons are becoming bigger and older.
housed, their children found a school place
one in 25 to one in seven. Indeed the number of
This places increasing strains on services such
and medical treatment made available at their
people over the age of 85 in the UK is expected to
as health, education and housing – and highlights
GP surgery or hospital when they fall ill.
more than double over the next 25 years. A report
why the CBI is calling for a larger role for the
This can lead to social tensions, particularly
by a House of Lords committee identifies how
private sector in the delivery of public services.
when there has been a large increase in
England will see a 51 per cent rise in those aged
immigration, as there has been in the UK over
over 65 and a doubling of those aged 85 and over
Britain is getting bigger. The population of the
the past 50 years. It has become particularly
between 2010 and 2030.
UK, which has grown steadily over the last
marked in the decade since 2004, when eight
Meanwhile obesity is becoming a major
five decades, is forecast to grow by another
new countries joined the European Union and
problem in the UK: around a quarter of adults
10 million to 73 million – a 15 per cent increase
their citizens gained the right to come to the UK.
are now obese. According to official figures
– over the next quarter of a century.
The ONS figures show that, of the forecast
there was a marked increase in the proportion
The most recent census in 2011 put the UK
9.6 million increase in population by 2037,
of adults in England that were obese between
population at 63.18 million, an increase of more
4.2 million or 43 per cent will be made up of
1993 and 2012, from 13.2 per cent to 24.4 per »
than 10 million from the 52.81 million recorded
new migrants minus those leaving the country.
in 1961. In other words the growth rate in the
While the remaining 5.4 million come from the
population looks set to double if the forecasts
“projected natural increase” – the fact that
by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) turn
there are more births than death – the children
out to be correct.
of migrants account for almost a third of that
While a growing population is a good thing,
increase. Britain is becoming more diverse.
it puts pressure on policymakers in a number of areas. From an economic viewpoint it means that
Older … and fatter
more people will join the labour force each year,
As well as getting more diverse, Britain is becoming
which in turn means the country needs to create
older. There are now around 10.3 million people
more jobs. It also puts more pressure on public
aged 65 and over in the UK. That is an 80 per
services such as health, education and housing,
cent increase compared with 1951. Over those six decades the share of much older people has risen
As Britain’s population grows (opposite), it faces
dramatically thanks to the benefits of healthier
the challenges of an ageing population (right)
lifestyles and higher quality healthcare. The number
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CBI: 50 Years of Business Innovation | A CHANGING SOCIETY
cent among men and from 16.4 per cent to 25.1 per cent among women. More worrying is the association between obesity and
“ With shrinking resources, it is even more urgent that public services are delivered more efficiently”
increased risk of many serious diseases and mortality. For example, it is estimated that an
lower cost is to bring in the skills from the private
The need to do more with less in the public
obese woman is almost 13 times more likely to
sector to devise and implement more efficient
sector raises a number of key issues. There will
develop type 2 diabetes than a woman who is
systems. Only by opening up the delivery of public
need to be greater transparency in the award
not obese. The number of people admitted to
services to independent providers and encouraging
and oversight of public-sector service contracts
hospital with a primary diagnosis of obesity
greater innovation can the government find real
to boost levels of confidence among the public
in 2012/13 was almost nine times higher
cost savings and service improvements.
in the quality of service and value for money they
than the figure for 2002/03.
Twelve years ago the CBI set up the Public
can expect. Through its Public Services Network,
Services Strategy Board, which now includes the
the CBI seeks to bring together business, public
Reform agenda
CEOs of 20 major private-sector service providers
sector, the voluntary and charities sector and
Added to these twin pressures of an older
who can share their experience to help rethink
other interested groups to establish a dialogue
population and higher rates of obesity come
how public services can operate more effectively
on the right ways to proceed.
greater expectations from consumers, the
and efficiently. The focus over the coming years
The CBI has long argued that opening up
challenges of climate change and changing
will be to both get better value out of the public
services to private- and voluntary-sector providers
family and social structures. With rising demand
sector and to bring in private-sector providers
must be a major part of the solution, helping the
for services and shrinking resources, it is even
into a greater range of services. Private-sector
UK meet its immediate and longer-term spending
more urgent that public services such as health,
delivery of public services already accounts
needs and delivering an increase in quality, choice
education and social welfare are delivered more
for 7 per cent of GDP and employs some
and value for money. The challenge will be to
efficiently in an era of fiscal constraint.
2.5 million people but there is clearly potential
come up with innovative ideas of how to address
The CBI has strongly argued that the only way
to apply public skills to a wider range of services
the current and future requirements in the UK’s
to deliver improvements to public services at a
in areas such as reform of the National Health
public services to create a fiscally balanced
Service and greater integration of health and
outcome that benefits people, taxpayers and
social care provision.
businesses alike.
Opposite: A rising population puts pressure on housing
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Demographics and public services | in focus
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CBI: 50 Years of Business Innovation | A CHANGING SOCIETY
“We work with our customers long-term. We build strong relationships that provide real benefits to clients and communities”
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Amey | business profile
Delivering the essentials of everyday life Amey www.amey.co.uk
Progressive attitude
Enterprise plc. Together with Ferrovial,
is one of the UK’s most important companies.
Amey’s sustainability goals go well beyond
Amey has launched an international graduate
Working with public and regulated sectors across
government and industry expectations, with its
programme that marries language skills with
the country, its 21,000-strong workforce has a
target to deliver a 20 per cent improvement on its
technical and engineering expertise. Investing in
far-reaching impact on the daily lives of millions.
1990 carbon-emission levels by 2020. The firm’s
its workforce is one of Amey’s key objectives,
The firm helps to maintain and improve the
impressive year-on-year growth over the past two
and with around 100 different disciplines on
services that people use every day – from local
decades is in part due to its progressive attitude
offer there are huge opportunities for training
and national infrastructure and schools, to waste
to best practice from Europe. “The culture of
and apprenticeships. It’s a commitment that
disposal, energy and water usage, social housing
excellence and innovation from Europe informs
has earned Amey Investors in People Gold
and the environment – with a view to creating
what we do, whether that’s in energy, waste or
and Champion status.
better places to live, work and travel.
water management,” says Faulkner.
Investment in relationships with its suppliers
“We work with our customers long-term,”
This receptiveness to new ideas has helped
and community customers is also vital to Amey’s
says Group Strategy Director John Faulkner.
Amey secure the contract to design, build and
success. “Our business relationships are
“This means that we build strong relationships that
operate the new Milton Keynes Waste Recovery
long-term, which gives us a solid foundation on
provide real benefits to clients and communities,
Park. “It’s a perfect example of cooperation,”
which to implement our sustainability agenda,”
drawing on our knowledge, experience, skilled
says Faulkner of the project, which sees Amey
says Davies. Amey also devotes resources to
team and adherence to best practice.”
Waste Treatment working in conjunction with the
community engagement through initiatives
Keen to establish a framework of principles
local authority and the Centre of Environmental
such as its Community Hub Bus – an on-site
across its various operations, Amey published its
Excellence – the latter being managed by the
information point – and public consultations.
code of ethics in 2014, which sits alongside
firm’s parent company Ferrovial. “The operational
In addition, schools are invited to use the large
the company’s six corporate objectives on
and technological know-how of the Ferrovial
educational facility at Amey’s Waterbeach Waste
sustainability. “The code ensures that we adhere to
Group has tailored an environmentally sustainable
Management Park in Cambridgeshire as a prime
our standards on conduct and integrity – with each
and cost-effective solution for the public.”
example of recycling in action.
other, our clients and suppliers – and on support
Over the park’s lifespan, it will save local
Generating growth across sectors, Amey
for local communities and the protection of the
taxpayers £50 million, generate electricity for
delivers far-reaching benefits and takes a
natural environment,” says Emily Davies, Head of
11,000 homes and cut landfill by 95 per cent.
long-term, ethical approach to its collaborative
You might not have heard of them, but Amey
partnerships. Indeed, while the company
Environment and Sustainability. “We work closely with our supply chain and
Global presence
may maintain a low profile, by overseeing
SMEs,” adds Faulkner. “So it’s very important that
Amey has an increasing international presence,
the essential infrastructure upon which we
they understand our values when representing us.”
having doubled in size in 2013 by acquiring
all rely, its impact is anything but.
•
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CBI: 50 Years of Business Innovation | A CHANGING SOCIETY
Accounting for all tastes Acca www.accaglobal.com
“It’s easy for any organisation to say it is leading
bodies have used it as a learning model,”
likely to operate on a global scale in the future
the way,” says Sarah Hathaway, Head of the
says Hathaway. “It is an example of us stepping
– ACCA is ensuring that international benchmarks
Association of Chartered Certified Accountants
outside the obvious and setting a precedent for
are put in place.
(ACCA) UK, based in London’s historic Lincoln’s
others – both of which are very typical of us.”
“ACCA’s culture is to evolve and innovate, so that we accommodate the changing nature
Inn Fields. “But we can back that claim up.” With roots that date back to 1904, ACCA
Pioneering diversity
of business and the world economy, as well as
is the global body for professional accountants.
A less visible example of ACCA’s pioneering
the individual needs of different countries,” says
Today, it boasts more than 162,000 members
leadership is its track record on gender and
Hathaway. “For example, Indonesia currently
and 428,000 students across 173 countries,
diversity. ACCA was the first accountancy body
has a worryingly low number of accountants in
and examples of the organisation’s pioneering
to have a female member and, later, a female
the face of an economy that is growing into a very
policies and ideas are as varied as they are
president. Today, women account for 51 per cent
strong position. It’s the reason why ACCA opened
many. Continually championing new concepts
of its students, and 45 per cent of its members
an office there in 2013, and why we opened an
in training, regulation and access, ACCA has
worldwide. “Our central tenet, right from day one,
office in Kazakhstan in 2012 – to develop the
a number of pioneering firsts under its belt.
has been to provide access to the accountancy
accountants that the world needs.”
A perfect example is its globally recognised
profession for all, irrespective of background,”
courses. “We were the first accountancy body to
says Hathaway. “We are genuinely global, and
Widening access
sponsor a Massive Open Online Course,” says
comprise a diverse and broad membership.”
Crucial to development is ACCA’s policy of open
Hathaway. The free course, entitled Discovering
When it comes to technical standards that
access, which makes a career in accountancy
Business in Society, is delivered in conjunction
matter to the profession, ACCA was also the first
viable to anyone with the desire and determination
with the University of Exeter and the online
organisation of its kind to introduce international
to succeed. Continuing to promote social mobility
learning platform FutureLearn, and is available
financial reporting standards. Students can still be
within the profession, ACCA offers a range
to anyone, anywhere in the world. “Since we
assessed against their home country’s standards,
of training routes, including apprenticeships
announced the launch of the course, other
but – in the knowledge that businesses are more
throughout the UK. »
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acca | business profile
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CBI: 50 Years of Business Innovation | A CHANGING SOCIETY
Apprenticeship Trailblazers – the next phase in
of strengthening public trust in the commercial
its money,” says Hathaway. “However, we are
this learning model – will be available from 2015.
world. Since the global financial crisis, everyone
a supported, governed and robust profession.
“These are employer-driven and are focused
is more vigilant – but no one more so than
There’s a real sense of the value that we bring
on the future needs of businesses of any size
finance professionals.”
to the economy and the wider public.”
and sector,” says Hathaway. In addition, ACCA’s
As a regulated profession, ACCA’s
For this reason, accountancy continues
global Foundation Awards allow people of any
accountants can be trusted to do the right
to be an attractive career, welcoming people
age with no previous qualifications to work for
thing. “If a small business goes to an accountant
with global ambitions. Such individuals deserve
their introductory certificate at their own speed.
who isn’t qualified, there is no back-up if that
strong leadership and pioneering innovation –
“For any professional qualification,
accountant does something illegal or loses
and with ACCA they can expect nothing less.
there need to be numerous entry points,” says Clare Minchington, Executive Director of Strategy and Development at ACCA. “This is not only to encourage social mobility, but also to create a wider talent pool for businesses and organisations. Too many routes into professions are limited to graduates.” In response, some of ACCA’s qualifications are open to A-level students, school leavers or those seeking a career change. The standards required to achieve these qualifications remain high, however, showing that greater access to study does not mean easier assessments or less exacting criteria. The ACCA qualification is widely recognised and can be accessed worldwide, ensuring that businesses benefit from finance professionals with international knowledge and experience. “This is something that today’s financial officers believe is essential for tomorrow’s success, in the context of customers, clients and suppliers becoming more global,” says Minchington. A vital role to play Whether a business is a start-up, an SME or a multinational corporation, “the role of the finance professional is critical,” says Hathaway. “There is evidence to show that small businesses with well-developed finance teams achieve faster, more sustainable growth and can attract investment to help them develop.” Employers agree: “Today’s businesses no longer look on the chief financial officer as the boardroom number cruncher,” says Hathaway. “Their role is becoming more geared towards the future direction of a business, so they need to be aware of the bigger picture. They also have a vital role to play in ensuring public trust, guarding against risk and promoting transparency, all of which sit at the heart
136
•
acca | business profile
“Our central tenet, from day one, has been to provide access to the accountancy profession for all, irrespective of background�
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CBI: 50 Years of Business Innovation | A CHANGING SOCIETY
The RETAIL giant that’s big on listening Asda www.asda.com
As the UK’s second-largest supermarket chain, Asda is a trusted name and a high-street stalwart. A subsidiary of the US retail company Walmart, the supermarket is known for its customer service and its flexible shopping options. For employees, its approach is similarly supportive, with training schemes that help both new recruits and experienced colleagues make the most of their careers. Key to all this, according to the company, is keeping an ear to the ground. “Customers say they want us to do two things: save them time, and save them money,” says Chief Operations Officer Mark Ibbotson. Recent years have therefore seen the introduction of Click and Collect, whereby customers can pick up online orders in-store, at Drive Thru collection points or even from kiosks at some London tube stations. Further, the company’s Shopping List App means that shoppers can scan products to create a free, live shopping list on their mobile phone. “We base innovation on feedback, inviting our customers to tell us how they want to shop, rather than dictating how they should shop,” adds Ibbotson. “We continuously strive to find creative ways to offer the best service and convenience.” Key to delivering this is Asda’s Store of the Future in York where new retail innovations are tested. The first Drive Thru Click and Collect was trialled there, as was the 360-degree
“WE base innovation on feedback, rather than dictating how
138
Rapid Scan checkout, whereby customers can scan items up to 300 per cent faster than a normal till. An opportunity to excel Those with an eye on a career in retail can also benefit
our customers
from Asda’s innovative approach. The company’s Graduate
should shop”
management. Today, it’s split into four key areas: logistics,
Programme, which launched in 1995, is a fast track to senior
asda | business profile
trading, retail and a rotation scheme covering various commercial functions. Meanwhile, a partnership with the Prince’s Trust targets some of the government’s 20 “hotspots” for youth unemployment. This programme helps talented 16- to 25-year-olds develop skills and find permanent employment. It’s a four-week course that includes work experience, accredited skills and retail-related training – and its success is evident: 91 per cent of young people joining the programme have gone on to gain permanent roles at Asda. Targeting talent Opportunities also exist for experienced members of staff to progress. A fully funded degree programme, delivered in partnership with Middlesex University, affords employees the chance to study distribution or retail operations while retaining a salaried position in store. Then there’s the Women in Leadership initiative, introduced in 2013. “We work hard to create an organisation where women feel they can put themselves forward,” says Helen Milford, Vice President of People Operations and one of the programme’s Talent Ambassadors. The scheme is dedicated to giving talented women throughout the business the support they need to climb the career ladder. It is delivered through targeted modules and mentoring by both male and female role models. More than 300 colleagues enrolled in the first year of the scheme, with 21 per cent progressing to more senior roles. “It’s about listening and passing that learning on to future candidates,” says Milford. Indeed, as Asda has learned over the years, listening lies at the heart of delivering a firstrate, responsive service. It has also helped the retail company establish itself as an industry pioneer – one that creates exciting opportunities
•
for customers and colleagues alike.
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CBI: 50 Years of Business Innovation | A CHANGING SOCIETY
140
Association of Colleges | business profile
The voice of training quality Association of Colleges www.aoc.co.uk
Giving colleges a voice is an essential part of
It was successful representations by AoC that
widespread coverage which, along with changing
Martin Doel’s job description. As Chief Executive of
resulted in a change of government policy to
the policy, also helped to raise the profile of
the Association of Colleges (AoC), he is committed
allow disadvantaged 16- to 18-year-olds in
colleges and the further education sector.”
to promoting the interests of this sector, which
colleges access to free meals. Previously, only
Despite such successes, AoC is never
offers further and higher education courses to
pupils in school sixth forms had received free
complacent. Doel highlights the fact that the
people aged 14 and over.
lunches, which meant over 100,000 students
labour market is facing growing challenges in
Technical and vocational education has
in institutions such as further education and
meeting employer demand with skills shortages
traditionally been seen as the poor relation of
performing arts colleges were missing out.
in leisure, manufacturing and caring sectors.
academic studies. But this is changing, not least
In March 2012, AoC launched the No Free
This “technician gap” could be closed through
thanks to the work of AoC, which represents more
Lunch? campaign, which received widespread
the training that colleges offer – but only with
than 360 colleges – over 95 per cent of the sector
cross-party support. “The campaign was
the right support. Each year, colleges educate
– across the UK.
innovative in that it was built from a grass-roots
and train more than 3 million people, yet higher
level,” says Doel, “utilising students and staff in
technical and vocational education in England
Campaigning for change
colleges from across England to communicate
is small in comparison to other countries.
“Colleges are at the heart of higher skills
the message and keep the issue on the
“Higher apprenticeships are a development
training,” says Doel, “and AoC has been central
political agenda.”
in the right direction and have political capital, but need support,” says Doel. “We have worked, and
to promoting their work on a national basis. One of the successes of colleges in the past
success story
continue to work, with government, businesses
20 years has been in raising the standing of
AoC achieved its aim in September 2013
and other partners to further support higher
technical and vocational education, giving
when Nick Clegg, the Deputy Prime Minister,
technical and vocational education.” Making sure
young people the opportunity to choose an
announced that free meals would be available
that this is given national exposure by giving
apprenticeship over a university place.”
to college students from September 2014.
colleges a voice is what AoC has been doing
Campaigning for change is what AoC does
Says Doel: “The fundamental inequality and
for the past two decades, and will continue
best. Set up by colleges in 1996 as a not-for-profit
simple message of the campaign resulted in
to do for years to come.
membership organisation, it employs more than 100 people who ensure that important issues affecting colleges, their students and staff are kept at the top of the political agenda.
•
“ Higher apprenticeships are a development in the right direction and have political capital, but need support”
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business profile | The British Display Society
and freelance alike,” says Chairman Cliff Messiter. “We also explore and promote design ideas such as lighting and graphics, so we have members
A shop window for display professionals The British Display Society www.britishdisplaysociety.co.uk
that produce display materials, as well as graphic designers.” With a growing corporate membership too, the society has various memberships and fellowships available to industry professionals, as well as students keen to progress in the industry. Charting a new course The BDS has represented the visual merchandising profession for more than 60 years, and it is now sharing its knowledge and passion in the form of courses and online teaching. To meet demand from students seeking a specialist course in display and visual merchandising (VM), the BDS has set up distance learning courses that carry its own qualifications. “Courses are taken in the student’s
Whether it’s the window of a department store,
and trained by The British Display Society
own time over a 12-month period,” says Messiter.
a point-of-sale display in a shop or the stand of
(BDS), whose aim it is to deliver the strongest
“Part of the online experience is submitting
an exhibition, any decent visual display requires
visual impact for retail businesses, exhibitions
projects, theses and essays online. You can also
the eye of a trained professional. It’s these
and museum spaces.
video-call lecturers for feedback.”
display professionals, window dressers and
“Our membership includes individuals who
The courses are available online, rather
“visual merchandisers” who are represented
belong to big retail groups, and the self-employed
than through BDS-accredited colleges, so the student body is varied. “Students are usually art or graphic-design graduates who are interested in visual merchandising,” says Messiter, “but we have many existing visual merchandisers who are being sponsored by a retailer to add to their qualifications.” There are two e-courses available, with most students taking both intermediate and final courses to boost their professional development. “VM courses can also be tailored for use in a company’s own training regime,” says Messiter. “If the course is delivered by a BDS-approved tutor, students will be awarded a BDS qualification upon completion. “Creating good retail displays and employing effective visual merchandising techniques requires not only a natural flair coupled with training in design,” says Messiter, “but also a knowledge of the limitations imposed by such things as lighting, availability of props, mannequins and accessories.” And, with the experience and support of the BDS, creating a strong visual impact in this profession has
•
never been more exciting or accessible.
142
Ealing, Hammersmith & West London College | business profile
as the Royal Marsden Hospital, the Hilton Group, St Luke’s Hospice and West London Mental Health Trust. Education that works
An enterprising approach to learning
EHWLC works with employers to address local and regional skills gaps, increase productivity by upskilling employees and ensure that training delivery has a positive business impact. Delivering a wide range of qualifications from Pre-Entry through to MBA
Ealing, Hammersmith & West London College www.wlc.ac.uk
level, the college offers courses in business, care, construction, English language, literacy and numeracy, hospitality and catering, IT and media, and has achieved Training Quality Standard certification. “When it comes to training, different businesses have vastly different needs,” says Phillips. “An approach that might be suitable for a multinational organisation is rarely right for
In a world where education and commerce are
bodies to ensure that their training reflects
a small care home. We work with employers
becoming ever more entwined, colleges need
current trends in employment.
across a range of sizes, from small businesses
to make sure that their courses are demand-led
“We are totally committed to increasing
to multinationals, in both public and private
and employer-responsive.
employability,” says Garry Phillips, Principal
sectors, and tailor our training to those
That’s certainly the case with Ealing,
and CEO of the college. “We’re delivering
individual businesses.”
Hammersmith & West London College (EHWLC).
apprenticeships and career pathways that
The college works together with employers
An active member of West London Business, the
meet both employer and employee needs.”
to design a curriculum and its flexible delivery
Business Improvement District and the London
In 2013/14, the college supported more than
means that training is delivered at a place and
Chamber of Commerce, the college works
1,000 employers, delivering apprenticeships and
time that suits the business. “While we take
closely with employers and their representative
work-placed training in organisations as diverse
guidance from the Skills Funding Agency and government policy documents, we place greater emphasis on the actual need of local employers as articulated by them,” says Phillips. “And, as identified through the organisational needs analyses, we undertake that as part of our engagement with them.” The college also helps smaller businesses with apprenticeships and consultancy through its business support unit. Eight apprenticeship pathways provide opportunities in a diverse range of sectors – from building services and building crafts to health and social care. Apprenticeships, designed with employers, offer 16- to 24-yearolds a structured training programme that ensures they are developing skills and making progress on the job. For businesses of all sizes, EHWLC is helping to develop skilled workforces and strengthen British business – ultimately bolstering the inevitable tie between education and commerce.
•
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CBI: 50 Years of Business Innovation | A CHANGING SOCIETY
Through its business head and social heart, Circle Housing is focused on more than just building homes. Its aim is to create thriving and sustainable communities by tackling issues of unemployment, encouraging financial
Building a virtuous circle
independence, offering support services – and providing secure, good quality homes. Circle Housing is an independent, notfor-profit organisation that’s one of the largest housing providers in the UK, housing one in every 300 people in England and one in every
Circle Housing www.circlegroup.org.uk
100 Londoners. It takes seriously its position as a dynamic social enterprise, reinvesting all surplus funds straight back into its social activities and constructing or improving its 65,000 homes. “We have a strong commitment to people and places,” says CEO Mark Rogers. “We invest in our homes, neighbourhoods and purposeful community projects to create a strong sense of place, and ensure our communities are economically and socially healthy and resilient.” Community spirit Circle Housing creates “sustainable communities” by looking closely at local needs and maintaining dialogues with its customers. “Our wider mission is to enhance the life chances of our customers,” says Rogers, “helping them to live independently and helping them seize opportunities to improve their quality of life.” This might be by aiding any of its 300,000 customers become more financially stable through provision of training, skills and apprenticeships that lead to employment. It might mean offering energy-saving advice for residents to stay warm in their homes. Or it might mean helping customers downsize into more affordable properties via the House Exchange website. However, it is Circle Housing’s commitment to employment and skills that is really remarkable. It actively leverages its commercial suppliers and partnerships, using them to help create job opportunities, apprenticeships, training and volunteering programmes. For instance, the Evolve Construction Shared Apprenticeship Scheme – London’s first not-for-profit shared apprenticeship scheme, set up in partnership with other housing associations, construction partners and the Construction Industry Training Board – created 27 new jobs in its first year, and
144
Circle Housing | business profile
“Our wider mission
is scheduled to create up to 300 apprenticeship
Mardyke Estate, built in the 1960s to house
is to enhance the
opportunities in the construction sector by 2017.
workers at the Ford factory in nearby Dagenham.
Circle Housing monitors the impact of its
Residents were heavily involved in the project,
life chances of
social activities and calculates that, for every
from renaming streets to being consulted on the
our customers”
£1 it invests in employment and skills, £12 is
design, and more than a third of the construction
generated. “This means Circle Housing can
force were apprentices from the local community.
invest in activities that deliver a real social
“This gave residents a real sense of ownership,
return based on local needs,” says Rogers.
community cohesion, pride and increased
“It also helps decide where to invest our social
employability through the skills they developed
dividend budget for the following year.”
by being part of this process,” says Rogers. Providing job opportunities and desirable
New homes
homes, Orchard Village is a massive flagship
Future investments include the improvement
project that represents Circle Housing’s core
of existing homes, but Circle Housing has also
activities. An organisation that uses its strength
made a pledge to build 1,250 new homes each
and scale to provide, manage and maintain great
year as well as continuing its 40-year history
places for people to live, Circle Housing also gives
of regeneration. One of its major projects is the
them the opportunities to move forward into new
£80 million Orchard Village in the London Borough
homes, jobs and communities – making full use
of Havering. It’s a major regeneration of the
of its business head and social heart.
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CBI: 50 Years of Business Innovation | A CHANGING SOCIETY
Laying the foundations of a new building industry Construction Industry Training Board www.citb.co.uk
Britain’s world-class construction industry,
600 projects and programmes, including HS2,
demands of 21st-century construction, around
an economic powerhouse that employs
Crossrail and Nuclear New Build.
100,000 current workers need further training.
2.3 million people, is currently experiencing
As the UK’s construction skills training
CITB advises construction firms on how to
a “perfect storm of opportunity”, says Adrian
board, CITB is perfectly positioned to help
develop a plan for skills and training, and then
Belton, Chief Executive of the Construction
tackle these challenges and support businesses
supports them in the delivery of those plans.
Industry Training Board (CITB). The industry
to take full advantage of the opportunities.
The largest provider of apprentices to the
is worth £90 billion annually and faces many
CITB has established an impressive track record
industry, CITB offers a grant of up to £10,250 for
complex challenges and opportunities,
over the past 50 years: it has trained more than
every apprentice that a construction company
including changing industry demographics,
half a million apprentices, issued over 4 million
takes on, in addition to grants for apprentice
the government’s reform of apprenticeships
cards to workers (enabling them to work safely
wages. In 2014, CITB set up an Apprenticeship
and a growing post-recession demand.
on sites), supported the attainment of 1.3 million
Commission to develop a long-term strategy
“There’s a significant challenge just in
vocational qualifications and paid out more
for the industry to increase the number of
the sheer numbers of people that need to
than £2.3 billion in grants. In 2013 alone, CITB
sector apprentices while ensuring they are
be attracted to the industry to meet demand,”
provided £165 million in skills funding, delivered
“gold standard” and valued by the companies
says Belton, “and the number of imminent
2.4 million days training and conducted 17,000
employing them. “Our apprenticeship scheme is
infrastructure projects is the greatest we’ve
company visits.
one of only a few rated ‘Outstanding’ by Ofsted,” says Belton, “and much of that is to do with the
ever seen.” TRAINING TO BUILD
additional support and welfare we provide to
THE NUMBERS GAME
CITB operates across a number of fronts,
young people who are leaving home or entering
Over the next 10 years, more than 400,000
including setting standards for skills and
the workforce for the first time.”
construction workers – around a fifth
training, inspiring people to join the industry,
of the industry – will reach retirement age.
and supporting businesses to be efficient
MAINTAINING STANDARDS
And around 182,000 new jobs are expected
and effective. Funded by an annual levy on
CITB is also responsible for maintaining
to be created by 2018 as the industry moves
construction businesses, CITB reinvests by
qualifications and standards for the entire
out of recession. The government’s National
providing grants to help employers who train
industry, including setting National Occupational
Infrastructure Plan, worth more than
their workforce and further the development
Standards, and managing the Qualifications and
£466 billion to 2030, comprises more than
of skills in the industry as a whole. To meet the
Credit and Apprenticeships Frameworks. »
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Construction Industry Training Board | business profile
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CBI: 50 Years of Business Innovation | A CHANGING SOCIETY
“There is a lot of talk about the demand for
people to pursue a career in construction,
as it was originally set up in 1964, rather than
skills right now, but I think there is a less clear
and is helping to develop the next generation
an old-fashioned training board.”
picture of what the supply of skills actually looks
of construction talent. Ambassadors, who need
For 50 years, CITB has played a crucial
like,” says Belton. “There is a role here for CITB
to have worked in the industry for at least two
role in supporting the development of the
to ensure that training providers are thinking
years, share their enthusiasm for the industry
construction industry, and ensuring a safe,
sufficiently long-term and strategically, and
by speaking with young people at schools and
professional and fully qualified workforce.
working in partnership with industry itself
career events.
By sharing its extensive experience with
to create a national capability.”
But the current climate also offers “an
industry partners, training bodies and
As well as supporting the rest of the skills
opportunity to rethink the role of the CITB
government, CITB intends to ensure that
sector, CITB owns and operates the National
itself”, says Belton. “It is becoming more of a
the construction industry rises to and meets
Construction College, the largest college of its
partnership between government and industry,
the challenges of the next 50 years.
kind in Europe. It offers training in real-life environments at eight campuses and training centres, and also provides training in health and safety, leadership and management, and sustainability at a further 40 locations across the country. Another important way in which CITB helps construction businesses to plan for the future is through its Construction Skills Network (CSN). Produced in conjunction with global information services group Experian, and published twice a year, CSN is “the flagship programme for forecasting demand,” says Belton. It provides data on the sector and insights to help industry, government and regional agencies to identify which regions and sub-sectors will drive growth and what the demand for skills is likely to be. INSPIRING A GENERATION One of CITB’s current strategic priorities is to help the industry with recruitment and retention, and inspire the next generation of construction talent. CITB research has shown that 35 per cent of careers advisers believe a career in construction to be “unattractive”, and CITB is helping to implement a number of initiatives designed to broaden the industry’s appeal and draw attention to the fact that significant changes are taking place. “As a result of new technologies and increasing innovation, we’re seeing demand for new types of skills, and with this, the chance to attract people who might not otherwise have thought of a career in construction,” says Belton. “So there’s quite a bit we can do to reflect the fact that the industry offers opportunities for all, and can embrace diversity in its fullest sense.” The Construction Ambassadors Programme is an important way in which CITB inspires young
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Construction Industry Training Board | business profile
“There’s a significant challenge just in the sheer numbers of people that need to be attracted to the industry to meet demand”
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business profile | Estuary Housing Association
Over the next three years, Estuary is creating 400 new homes along the Thames Gateway into East London – a venture that will
Accommodating changing times
see the social business moving into new funding territory while increasing its existing portfolio. While most of the homes will be allocated as affordable housing, some will be sold through a new subsidiary company to subsidise further development, thereby reducing the need for
Estuary Housing Association www.estuary.co.uk
borrowing and grant funding. Affordable housing It is an innovative and pragmatic solution, and one that Estuary has good reason to be confident in. Since its last development push in 2007/8, the association’s annual turnover has increased by 46 per cent. “The board was no longer happy with just delivering services,” says Amanda Ashley-Smith, Estuary’s Executive Director of Corporate Resources. “They wanted
In 2010, Estuary Housing Association faced a
was reduced by 63 per cent under the Coalition,
to extend the provision of affordable housing
troubling dilemma. The not-for-profit organisation
further asset development looked uncertain.
because there’s such a regional shortage.”
has provided social housing for people in the
Rising to the challenge, the association soon
In fact, an estimated 250,000 homes need
South East of England since 1984 but, as
established a new business model – one that
to be built every year to meet this shortfall,
government investment in social housing
was founded on growth.
according to the National Housing Federation (NHF), yet annual construction is expected to reach just 200,000 by 2021. The CBI and NHF lobby government on this pressing issue, and Ashley-Smith sits on the former’s East of England Council, while Estuary’s Chief Executive Paul Durkin is Vice Chair of the latter’s East Regional Sounding Board. Clearly the needs of local people are a major concern. Through carefully designed buildings, communal spaces and a range of activities for residents, Estuary strives to foster a sense of community, and it has received the Customer Service Excellence accreditation for the last six years. “We have worked to streamline our costs and to ensure that we can maintain the quality,” says Ashley-Smith. “It has been key that we have been constantly watching the horizon and adapting our business plan in order to respond to some very dynamic changes that have taken place within the sector.” As the business continues to adapt, it looks set not merely to survive but to flourish.
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Prospects College of Advanced Technology | business profile
Southend and Canvey Island, the college is the second largest group training association in the UK.
Providing brighter prospects
Specialising in engineering, building services and construction, PROCAT offers an extensive range of courses, from Level 1 Diplomas to Higher National Certificates. Around 95 per cent of the college’s apprentices gain full-time employment at the end of their
Prospects College of Advanced Technology www.procat.ac.uk
period of training. A flying start PROCAT established the Prospects College Aviation Academy at London Southend Airport in 2009. It was a response to the aviation industry’s ageing workforce and the shortage of practical skills in aviation graduates. Maintenance, repair and overhaul of aircraft accounts for some 20 per cent of the global
“We’re not your average college,” says John
employers is a crucial, and continually evolving,
aviation industry and is worth around £5 billion
Mockler, Marketing Manager at Prospects
challenge. With this in mind, PROCAT has
to the UK economy each year.
College of Advanced Technology (PROCAT).
modelled an employer-led vision of vocational
In partnership with ATC Lasham the college
“Our courses are industry-specific with a
and technical education ever since it was
placed apprentices in the industry, enabling
view to getting students into work.”
established in 1969 by a group of Essex-based
them to gain practical skills while completing
Indeed, when it comes to providing
engineers. With 850 apprentices and 450 further
their education. “When our students finish their
high-quality vocational training, engaging
education students, and locations in Basildon,
course, they are ready for work,” says Mockler. “They know the theory but they also have the hand skills to use the tools.” Formerly owned by Prospects Learning Foundation, a registered charity, PROCAT became the UK’s first newly incorporated college in more than 20 years in September 2014. That same month, a new rail training academy was inaugurated at the Basildon campus, supported by strategic partners Thales, Bombardier, Atkins Global, Serco, C2C, Telent and Carillion. Partner rail companies donate equipment to the college so that students learn on the same equipment and infrastructure that they’ll use on the job. PROCAT embodies a model of education that adapts to address the needs of employers and employees alike. “This is in line with how the government envisages further education developing,” says Mockler. “They want us to meet the skills shortages that employers identify.” In doing so, PROCAT is quite clearly anything but average.
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CBI: 50 Years of Business Innovation | A CHANGING SOCIETY
“Newspapers are full of articles about trust these days – or, usually, society’s lack of it,” says Helen Wright, Head of Marketing at the London-based Great Place to Work®. The company specialises in the cultivation of trust – aiming to highlight
Championing the virtue of values
the importance of integrity in the workplace – so it’s something that she’s keenly aware of. “People have seen what can happen when trust breaks down,” says Wright. “For instance, look at the recent scandals involving politicians’ expenses, the failures at some NHS Trusts, or
Great Place to Work www.greatplacetowork.co.uk
banks mis-selling PPI. And, once broken, trust is very difficult to mend. So, ultimately, trustworthy behaviour in business is critical, and that’s what we help to build.” Maximising PERFORMANCE A global consulting, employee research and training firm, Great Place to Work has 50 affiliate offices around the world. The company helps organisations to maximise productivity and profitability, and to gain external recognition via its employee survey and management audit, which drive the Best Workplaces awards. “We look at what employees say an organisation does and what the organisation says it does,” says Wright. “Then we compare the two.” The employee survey, for example, invites employees to reflect upon statements such as “I feel I can do a good job without someone breathing down my neck” and “I believe that my organisation has a clear sense of direction”. This reveals strengths and weaknesses from the employee’s perspective, which is key because, says Wright, “for an organisation to be successful, there must be faith that the management is skilled, capable and competent to run things for the benefit of the employees and the market that it serves”. The Great Place to Work management audit, on the other hand, produces qualitative data and gives independent insights into an organisation’s approaches, programmes and environment. The results must be considered in context, however. “It’s easy to look at the ‘wrong’ things when evaluating audits,” says Wright. “Some organisations don’t see the bigger picture, but we help show where they’re out of kilter with the rest of the market.” Great Place to Work also offers targeted support in leadership and management.
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Great Place to Work | business profile
“What sets us apart is our social mission. If an organisation has clear values, it builds a trusting and engaged workforce. This has a positive impact”
Valuable recognition
that drive society – crucial among which, as
Recognised the world over, Great Place to Work’s
we see in the press, is trust – are important to
Best Workplaces awards endorse organisations
every organisation. People are talking about the
found to have strong workplace cultures with
need to reclaim and reassert British values, and
impressively high levels of trust and engagement.
increasingly our Best Workplaces are those that
“The methodology that produces the results is
embed such values in everything they do.”
rigorous and detailed,” say Wright. And the award
This strategic approach helps organisations
can have a significant national and international
to thrive commercially but, says Wright, it also
impact, too, by reinforcing a brand, and helping
benefits society more broadly. “What sets us apart
organisations to recruit and retain talent.
from our competitors is our social mission,” she
“It’s incredibly important to our clients,” she
says. “If an organisation has clear values, it builds
adds. “It’s like a Kitemark – a recognition that
a trusting and engaged workforce. This has a
they are a top employer. Employees seek Best
positive impact on society, drives up productivity
Workplaces out; they want to work for them
and contributes to, among other things, lower
and stay with them.
unemployment and less work-related illness.”
“An organisation is essentially a very small
In today’s trust-starved society, these are
society,” continues Wright. “Therefore, the values
welcome outcomes indeed.
•
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CBI: 50 Years of Business Innovation | A CHANGING SOCIETY
“Having a workforce with the right skills is the foundation for every successful organisation”
154
Hays | business profile
The right people for the job Hays www.hays.co.uk
“It’s a real shame when you see people who are
one important aspect has remained constant
by discipline, and that is at the very core
stuck in a role or a profession where, in their
throughout: businesses need to attract and
of how we run the business.”
heart of hearts, they know it’s not really right
retain the best people. “Having a workforce
Hays is proud of the skill and expertise
for them,” says Alistair Cox, the Chief Executive
with the right skills is the foundation for every
of its consultants. It has helped countless
of recruitment specialist Hays. “You need to
successful organisation,” says Cox, “and it will
businesses to attract and retain the best
build a career around something that you enjoy,
ultimately help them to flourish.”
people, providing them with industry-leading
something that you’re good at, something
In a changing global economy, the way
training to ensure that performance is clearly
where you feel you can make a big and a
people are now accessing jobs has changed, and
rewarded. The number of company employees
lasting contribution.”
Hays has kept its methods ahead of the game.
has grown exponentially over the years – it now
Cox’s recruitment firm Hays has helped
Last year alone there were 35 million hits on
has more than 8,200 experts working across
employees fulfil their career potential – and helped
Hays websites, and the business received and
the globe.
companies find talent – for more than 40 years.
processed 8 million CVs. This huge and constant
The focus at Hays is firmly on finding the
In the 1970s Hays was a UK-based recruiting
velocity of information meant that a world-class
right person for every job, as attracting and
business with a handful of London offices, before
infrastructure was implemented with new back-
retaining the best talent makes businesses,
it expanded across the rest of the country during
office and front-office systems.
economies and societies stronger. The depth
the 1990s. It is now a truly global organisation
Relationships were also strengthened with
and breadth of Hays’ expertise ensures that it
– the world’s largest specialist recruiter – with
professional social media sites to ensure Hays is
understands the impact that the right individual
237 offices in 33 countries.
at the centre of the modern recruiting landscape.
can have on an organisation and how the right
THE SKILL TRADE
THE PEOPLE PEOPLE
Last year, Hays’ recruiting experts worked with
For all these technical developments, the
clients, large and small, across the globe to
nature of specialist recruitment means that
find nearly 60,000 permanent employees and
Hays remains a people business.
to fill over 212,000 temporary assignments.
“I’m a strong believer that, regardless
Helping businesses around the world to grow by
of what you’re buying – whether you’re buying
ensuring their talent needs are fulfilled underpins
a TV or a car or a holiday, or whether you’re
the integral role Hays plays in the world of work.
recruiting somebody – you want to buy from
The business world has been subjected
an expert,” says Cox. “We position ourselves
to constant change over recent years, but
as the experts in what you need, by geography,
job can transform a person’s life.
•
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CBI: 50 Years of Business Innovation | A CHANGING SOCIETY
In 2014, the Institute of the Motor Industry (IMI) completed a two-year survey into employers taking on apprentices. It makes a compelling case for the value of the apprenticeship, both as a profitable investment for businesses and
Manning the wheels of industry
as a career opportunity for school leavers. “We were able to show that the payback on apprenticeships is faster than anyone had thought, up to 300 per cent after only 18 months,” says Steve Nash, CEO of the IMI. “Apprenticeships are an investment, not a cost.”
Institute of the Motor Industry www.theimi.org.uk
The UK retail motor industry comprises around 70,000 businesses, more than half of which are independent garages. Taking on apprentices has been standard practice in the sector for years but, until the IMI produced the findings of its survey, the value to employers had been underestimated. “There are many people within the UK retail motor industry who are evangelical about the value of apprenticeships,” says Nash. “Apprentices are very valuable, and giving them excellent training and mentoring ensures a professional workforce for the future.” Nash is himself evangelical about the value apprentices can add to a business across a diverse range of skills. INCREASING PRODUCTIVITY The IMI has found that 80 per cent of companies who employ apprentices feel that it makes the workplace more productive. And 83 per cent of employers rely on the apprenticeship scheme to provide them with skilled workers in the future. From the point of view of a school leaver who may be weighing up the relative value of a university degree and the debts it will incur, the opportunity to earn as you learn is an attractive one. And, in addition to traditional apprenticeships in vehicle fitting, parts or sales, the industry is becoming increasingly dependent on technology. “There is no doubt that tech-savvy youngsters take very well to the modern role of technician,” says Nash. “A lot of what you do now is programming, and the sector is also attracting a lot more women these days. Furthermore, taking an apprenticeship doesn’t preclude you from continuing in further education later on.”
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Institute of the Motor Industry | business profile
“Payback on
As the Skills Sector Council for the
High standards
automotive retail industry and the governing
Through its support of Apprenticeship
body for the Automotive Technician Accreditation
Week, its annual skills competitions and its
Scheme, the IMI plays a significant part in
provision of teaching resources for schools,
informing government policy on the value and
the IMI is vigorously promoting the uptake of
quality of apprenticeships and has presented the
apprenticeships in the retail motor industry
Apprenticeships
findings of its survey to the House of Commons.
and encouraging the highest standards of
The IMI is also an Ofqual-regulated Awarding
training and mentorship. “In this industry,
are an investment,
Organisation that offers over 200 qualifications,
especially as technology races forward, we
ranging from apprenticeships up to management
really need a constant flow of fresh talent.
apprenticeships is faster than anyone had thought.
not a cost”
leadership level. “It’s a big part of our role,”
For employers, it is well known that the
says Nash. “The IMI has more than 550 centres
‘grow your own’ route is by far the best
awarding qualifications and accreditations, from
way to make sure you have the skills your
manufacturers to academies and colleges.”
business needs,” says Nash.
•
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CBI: 50 Years of Business Innovation | A CHANGING SOCIETY
To thrive as well as survive, organisations need to be flexible. If they are to be open to new opportunities and look to the future, they cannot be afraid of change – which is why the education
On course for a flexible workforce
charity, Instructus, has embraced evolution since it was founded in London in 1996. Growing in scale and influence over the past two decades, the organisation is now the UK’s largest provider of, and registration and certification authority for, apprenticeships and
Instructus www.instructus.org
work-based education, and is renowned as the country’s number one driver of excellence in business performance. In addition, it provides shared services with the registered charity Skills CFA and the Institute of Paralegals (the latter sets professional standards and gives recognition to paralegals, whose job it is to offer affordable access to high-quality legal services). Instructus continues to evolve and develop; however, its three core values – known as the Three C’s – remain: to be committed, caring and collaborative. To this end, the company is “committed” to providing learning opportunities for everyone, shows “care” as part of its charitable mission and views its customers as “collaborative” partners. “Using these three values, we have become the standard-setting body for skills in all business areas,” says CEO David Holland. Standard-setting body At Instructus, improving business performance is down to two key areas: identifying what brings out the best in business, and ensuring that employees have the skills to excel in their chosen career. It achieves these goals by offering a range of products and programmes to employers, training providers, awarding organisations and other stakeholders, so as to impart skills, set and maintain standards, and encourage best practice. This striving for professional excellence extends to the company’s apprenticeship programmes. Accounting for around 30 per cent of all apprenticeships in the UK, they are “pan-sector” and teach skills that fall across a wide range of functional areas, including administration, leadership, HR, management, marketing and sales. “Whether in the construction
158
Instructus | business profile
industry, the car industry, in retail or any other
more apprenticeships than anyone else –
The added benefit of apprenticeships is
field,” says Holland, “every business needs
we provided more than 70,000 places in 2014,”
that they embed these pan-sector skills in an
people with the skills we impart.”
says Holland. “It’s vital to provide that variety,
individual’s career from the get-go. “The point
In fact, the company’s courses answer the
especially in response to the issue of labour
of an apprenticeship is that it’s part of a job,
needs of around a third of all UK occupations
mobility. We understand that people with generic
meaning that students are employed and
and some 11 million employees across all sectors
skills can be more mobile in their careers, and
earning at the same time as they’re learning,”
in the UK. “It’s a very wide remit, and we have
that also fits with the flexibility of the economy.”
says Holland. “Generally, these apprentices »
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CBI: 50 Years of Business Innovation | A CHANGING SOCIETY
160
Instructus | business profile
are aged 16 to 24, with most under the age of 18. They’re at the very start of their careers, and that’s naturally one of the most crucial times to instil
“ We understand that People with generic skills can be more mobile in their careers”
such skills.” As well as setting standards, Instructus is
“Business needs are changing all the time,”
“Lean” methodology, through which it aims to
the issuing body for apprenticeships, as delegated
says Holland, “and that shapes our courses; they
maximise value for its client companies. It has
by government. This means it approves and
are structured on a bespoke basis, depending
strategic links with a number of industries, and
certifies any apprenticeship course offered by
on each company’s senior management and
a growing apprenticeship division. “By being
a UK body, and ensures that these bodies offer
its business aims in terms of performance and
well-aligned with a wide range of industries as
excellent and professional training.
skills. We then work together to help deliver
strategic partners, not only can we develop their
the programmes.” A leading high-street bank,
businesses, but we can also help to train new
Forward-thinking approach
for example, recently readdressed its brand and
employees,” says Holland.
In addition, Instructus works to develop and
chose Instructus as the strategic partner to train
Though just one example of progression
promote National Vocational Qualifications
more than 250 specialist managers in the UK.
among many, Instructus’s latest acquisition
(NVQs) and Scottish Vocational Qualifications
“The details of what each company is looking
shows how rapidly the organisation is growing.
(SVQs), as well as overseeing the development
for vary, but it’s usually about wanting to improve
Today, it operates as a decentralised business
of National Occupational Standards (NOS),
performance on a sustainable and measurable
with three divisions: Instructus, Instructus CQM
which are guidelines based on employers’
basis,” says Holland. “We don’t just focus on
and Instructus Skills. “It’s not a consolidation
needs. Instructus helps to set these by creating
cognitive skills, we help companies improve
play, it’s a growth play,” says Holland. “All the
focus groups to identify key issues – a process
performance by developing their management
areas of our group are either registered charities
that also enables the organisation to forge ties
teams and overall cohesion, which then feeds
or not-for-profit businesses, and our websites
with a host of businesses.
into its strategy moving forward.”
are linked without losing their identity – because that identity is important.”
“We need to be close to employers to deliver training, as well as being in proximity to their
Maximising value
Together, they’re an ever-evolving skills
employees and their future employees,” says
In 2014, Instructus acquired the training provider
provider, imparting demand-driven vocational
Holland. “It’s a response to what the government
CQM Training & Consultancy – an organisation
education and driving business excellence for the
calls ‘plugging the skills gaps’ in the UK. It’s about
that is closely linked with a number of major
future. This attitude and approach – welcoming
improving the skills of businesses by improving
colleges throughout the UK. CQM consults on
change and evolving alongside emerging business
the skills of its people.
performance improvement, team building and
needs – is the key to Instructus’s success.
•
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CBI: 50 Years of Business Innovation | A CHANGING SOCIETY
A working model of education Loughborough College www.loucoll.ac.uk
When Neil Armstrong set foot on the moon, the footage may have been grainy and in black and white, but it inspired millions of young people to reach for the heavens. More than 40 years on, the space industry needs new recruits, and Loughborough College is leading the way in meeting this need. In 2014, the Leicestershire-based institution launched the first-ever Higher Apprenticeship in Space Engineering. Developed in association with the National Space Academy and the University of Leicester, it exemplifies the college’s innovative approach to education and creating future captains of industry. The programme has been created in consultation with a sector that is set to be worth £40 billion within two decades. “This space engineering apprenticeship not only provides the high-level work-based skills needed by employers,” says Esme Winch, Loughborough College’s Chief Executive, “but also the chance for young people who may traditionally not have had it to access this rapidly expanding industry.”
“The outstanding experience and standards we offer are a real reassurance for anyone investing in their future”
162
Bridge to work Founded in 1909 as a technical institute, Loughborough College also offers an entrepreneurship programme. One of its successful start-ups is a service called Be-Uni, which sells bicycles and accessories. Indeed, demand has been so great that the students behind it have set up their own shop. With more than 11,000 students, Loughborough has an international reputation for its pioneering vocational teaching approaches and qualifications. In fact, the college recently won a further education “Oscar” – a national Beacon Award from the Association of Colleges – in recognition of its Bridge to Work initiative. With many employers concerned that students lack
Loughborough College | business profile
relevant workplace skills and experience, Bridge to Work prepares young people for apprenticeships and work while still at school and college. Involving more than 2,000 people to date, the programme is a collaborative partnership with employers, schools and the community, and has resulted in impressive outcomes. Many of the participants have found employment while most of the remaining students have returned to college to continue their studies. A SPORTING CHANCE Loughborough is also world renowned for its sporting excellence. A total of 40 Olympians and Paralympians from the college competed in the summer 2012 and winter 2014 games, and 31 athletes from the college won medals at the 2014 Commonwealth Games. In 2012, the college launched the Elite Athlete Performance Centre, the first in the country for 16- to 18-year-olds. The aim is to enable young people to fulfil their sporting potential while they continue in education. The centre also boosts the economy by encouraging the creation and use of world-class facilities and by providing jobs to support young athletes. Says Winch: “This residential centre is pioneering developments that enhance and grow effective business partnerships with national governing bodies and top professional sports teams, and that enable the provision of truly groundbreaking opportunities for the careers of its athletes.” In 2013, Ofsted ranked the college as outstanding in Sports Studies and Sports Apprenticeships, and in other work-based learning. “These achievements reflect the exceptional opportunities and results offered by Loughborough College,” says Winch. “The outstanding experience and standards we offer, including high success rates at foundation level and for adults, are a real reassurance for anyone investing in their future.” Whether this future sees them becoming space engineers or top athletes, Loughborough students
•
are consistently encouraged to reach for the stars.
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CBI: 50 Years of Business Innovation | A CHANGING SOCIETY
Most students dream of securing a top job after university. And business leaders want the edge over their competitors. At Loughborough University, the integration of the academic and business worlds is fundamental, and is evident
Friends in high placements
across all subject areas. Steve Rothberg, Pro Vice Chancellor (Enterprise), says that this integration ensures all parties a greater chance of success: “Students receive the best possible start on the job ladder and our research partners
Loughborough University www.lboro.ac.uk
get the support they really need in their search for competitive advantage.” For example, when it comes to their year-long work placements, Loughborough University students won’t be found making the tea. Instead, they’ll be working at a senior level and be competitively salaried. Quality at work The university monitors each work placement to ensure that it is of the same standard that a new graduate would expect – a “quality control” that’s achieved through engagement between academics, students and line managers. Around 1,200 Loughborough University students are currently on placements across some 800 companies. A high proportion of this number is studying business or engineering, but placement students come from all disciplines – from social science to sports science, and across the arts and humanities. Many placements are accredited: engineering students, for example, receive credit that helps them to reach chartered status. While work placements are not a new concept, Rothberg says that the scale and level of integration between the academic and business worlds at Loughborough University makes its own placement programmes stand out: “It’s not a case of ‘Goodbye, see you next year’. You may graduate a year later but your CV is much stronger and you’re more likely to get the job you really want. It’s hugely beneficial for students.” Indeed, a study of 2,400 Loughborough University students, which took place over four years, has shown that average marks increase among those returning from placements by enough to add a grade to their final degree classification.
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Loughborough University | business profile
Industry PARTNERSHIPS
Processes. The centre’s research enables
Parks. One of the UK’s largest, this initiative
Tracing its roots to 1909, the university has an
Rolls-Royce and the UK aero-engine industry to
means that 1,500 staff from 40 organisations
established reputation for research excellence
develop engines that will meet future economic
share the campus with students and academics.
and for working in partnership with the business,
and environmental targets. “These engines fly
An Advanced Technology Innovation Centre opens
public and voluntary sectors. Every year, it has
almost halfway around the world without a break,”
at the end of 2015, to be followed by an ambitious
ranked in the top three in Higher Education’s
says Rothberg. “Our research affects fuel economy,
15-year programme to triple the size of the parks.
Business and Community Interaction survey for
safety and aircraft noise. We’re proud to help
The vision is of a single campus combining
the level of collaborative research undertaken.
maintain the competitive edge in one of the UK’s
academic and business worlds in equal
The university’s strategic partnerships are
finest industries.”
proportions. “Students, recruiters, academics and
illustrated by the Rolls-Royce University Technology
The pursuit of integration at Loughborough
company staff will all be within walking distance
Centre in Combustion System Aerothermal
University extends to its Science and Enterprise
of each other,” says Rothberg. “It will enable companies to raise their profile and recruit
“ You may graduate a year later but your CV is much stronger and you’re more likely to get the job you really want”
the best.” It will also cement Loughborough University’s reputation as one of the UK’s most
•
industry-savvy centres of higher education.
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CBI: 50 Years of Business Innovation | A CHANGING SOCIETY
“We are one of the few businesses that offer our apprentices a job from the outset”
166
MBDA | business profile
people-inspired innovation MBDA www.mbda-systems.com
MBDA is the first truly integrated European
employees through the creation of inspirational,
emerging technologies, sustaining the
defence company, with more than 90 armed
ambitious potential future missile systems.
company’s competitive edge.
forces customers worldwide. It was formed
These are then unveiled every year at the major
The high-profile scheme has seen past
in 2001 by the merger of missile producers
European air show of the summer.
MBDA apprentices address party political conferences, meet with the Prime Minister
from Britain, France and Italy, and its 10,000 employees are spread across the UK, France,
Valued team members
and win 24 gold medals in National Skills
Germany, Italy, Spain, as well as the USA.
One of the routes for developing the talent
Competitions over the past 20 years.
Its British roots date back more than a
of the future lies in the firm’s award-winning
century, and the company’s Stevenage site
apprenticeship scheme. It is a four-year programme GENDER EQUALITY
celebrated its 60th anniversary in 2014.
offered to engineering and commercial apprentices,
Another significant aspect of the scheme is
Innovation is intrinsic to sustaining the
and structured around professional, personal and
its reflection of MBDA’s clear commitment
group’s position as a world-leader in missile
technical development.
to gender equality. With research by Demos
systems, and the people who create these
“We are one of the few businesses that
suggesting that as few as 3 per cent of the
systems are often the unseen element. In 2014,
offer our apprentices a job from the outset,”
UK’s engineering apprentices are women,
a team of seeker engineers won the company its
says UK Director of Human Resources Aileen
MBDA has made it conditional that partner
10th Queen’s Award for Enterprise by developing
Randhawa. “Apprentices go directly on to our
colleges put forward equal numbers of male
an additional guidance mode for the Brimstone
headcount, and they’re rotated through different
and female candidates when participating in
air-to-ground missile – this was faster and
parts of the businesses, whether that’s in
activities with the company.
cheaper than procuring a new missile.
engineering, manufacturing, or further into
“We are seeing those numbers retained
A forward-thinking CBI member, the
the operations and business sides.”
right through the apprenticeship programme
company makes an effort to ensure that the
The firm’s apprenticeship programme helps
and then into the business,” says Randhawa.
talent pool is being mined for the next generation
to maintain the long-term skills and knowledge
“As an engineering company, it’s been interesting
of engineers. It also tries to nurture and foster
necessary to support the longevity of MBDA’s
to see that our award winners, irrespective of
innovation among its employees. MBDA even
products. “Our products can have more than
topic, tend to be women. Ultimately, whatever
holds its own multinational Innovation Awards,
40 years of in-service life,” says Randhawa,
their gender, we have high expectations for
designed to recognise the best innovations within
“and the programme is designed to ensure
our apprentices. Their contribution to the
the business. The company also holds an annual
that anticipated skills gaps are addressed
company is critical in ensuring we maintain
initiative called Concept Visions that seeks
and filled.” Apprentices can also contribute
the sovereign capability to develop UK
to harness the imagination and innovation of
to the air of innovation needed to harness
missile systems.”
•
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OCR | business profile
always deliver people with the skills that employers need to move their businesses forward.” In this context, OCR has moved beyond its more traditional range of GCSEs and A Levels to develop a series of technical qualifications
Honing The skills for future success
that reflect a project-based approach to learning centred on real-life business challenges. Cambridge Nationals (for learners between 14 and 16) and Cambridge Technicals (for learners over 16) are two distinct sets of qualifications that have been developed in partnership with students,
Oxford Cambridge and RSA Examinations www.ocr.org.uk
teachers, education specialists and employers to ensure that they reflect the real world and prepare students for future study and the workplace. ENGINEERING EXCELLENCE The latest suite of fully accredited Cambridge Nationals in Engineering was launched in September 2014. Intended to stimulate interest in the vital STEM sector, it was developed in partnership with a broad range of businesses including Siemens, IBM and Jaguar Land Rover Automotive. “We’re finding that many UK businesses want to be involved in education delivery so that they can see first-hand the skills learners are acquiring, but also so they can provide a real context for learning,” says Bosworth. “The real-life context also means
Most UK businesses recognise the importance
Technical education
that students can see the relevance of what
of education and training to deliver the kinds of
One of the key areas of the government’s
they’re learning straightaway and understand
employees that will drive the economy forward.
education reforms, as reflected in the 2011
how it relates to their future working life.” »
The CBI’s First Steps Report (2012) clearly states
Wolf Report, is technical education. To this end,
that improving education is “the most important
OCR is working with business and employers
part of the UK’s long-term growth strategy”.
to ensure that a wide range of qualifications
One key finding is that schools and colleges do
are available that are relevant, flexible and
not always develop the skills and qualities in
responsive to employer needs.
young people that businesses require – a failing
“At OCR, we’re making sure that there
that the leading UK awarding body OCR is
are appropriate qualifications for all learners,
working to alter with changes to examinations.
whichever pathway they choose,” says
OCR was formed in 1996 by the fusion of
Charlotte Bosworth, OCR’s Director of Skills and
the Royal Society of Arts Examinations Board and
Employment. “This process is very much being
the University of Cambridge Local Examinations
driven by employers. Historically, apprenticeships
Syndicate – itself established in 1858, absorbing
gave employers the opportunity to find people
the Oxford and Cambridge Schools Examinations
with the attitude, aptitude and skills needed
Board in 1995. OCR provides a variety of learners
to work within their business. More recently,
with a range of qualifications, from GCSEs and A
the emphasis has been on qualifications – but
Levels to technical and professional qualifications,
because so many people are applying for jobs,
and apprenticeships. With more than 150 years
GCSEs and A Levels are often used as filtering
of expertise, it has a long history of working with
tools for recruitment. We’re seeing that selection
businesses to develop qualifications.
based on these qualifications alone does not
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CBI: 50 Years of Business Innovation | A CHANGING SOCIETY
The CBI’s First Steps Report proposes that
“We believe that apprenticeships are critical to
LEARNING TO LEAD
schools’ levels of achievement are measured
moving the economy forward,” says Bosworth,
OCR has developed another new set of
across three areas: core subjects such as
“and we need to ensure that they’re nationally
qualifications, entitled Being Entrepreneurial,
mathematics and English; enabling subjects
recognised. We also need to be explicit about
which is aimed at developing the key skills
that expand and enhance core subjects, such as
the difference between training for employment
required for successful leadership and at
languages, humanities and technical subjects;
in a sector and training for a specific job within
helping learners to identify, evaluate and pitch
and, importantly, personal qualities and
an organisation.”
opportunities. “We’ve developed qualifications
characteristics. “Employers tell us that it’s these
Following the 2012 Richard Review
that ensure people develop an entrepreneurial
surrounding values, habits and characteristics
of Apprenticeships, written by Dragons’
mindset and also that they’re mentally tough
that sometimes appear to be missing in young
Den entrepreneur Doug Richards, the UK
– confident, controlled and able to meet
people,” says Bosworth.
government is introducing changes to
challenges head-on,” says Bosworth.
OCR’s project-based approach to learning
apprenticeships, based on new employer-
Designed in partnership with employers
helps to develop each of these areas in concert
defined standards. Importantly, the new
and entrepreneurs, Being Entrepreneurial is
with one another. For example, when students
standards are intended to develop transferable
not aimed at just the one in four young people
are required to develop and present a business
skills – including skills in English and maths
who want to start their own business (according
plan in a real-life scenario, they can appreciate
– that will ensure apprentices have the ability
to research by software specialists Sage), but
the importance of turning up on time and
to develop careers within a sector, rather than
was also created as a life lesson for all learners.
presenting themselves clearly, while also
train for a particular role.
As a result of technological change and
demonstrating their proficiency in the task at
“The old model of apprenticeships –
cultural shifts towards more open and flexible
hand. “It’s not until you pull all of those things
that an apprentice would remain employed
employment practices, the nature of work is
together that you produce competent, compelling
by a particular organisation for 30 years
changing. Skills in communicating and building
and useful individuals,” says Bosworth.
– doesn’t reflect work patterns today,” says
relationships are increasingly important, and
Bosworth. “Most people will work for 10 or 15
management skills are becoming relevant
APPRENTICESHIP standards
organisations during their lifetime and change
at all levels. By connecting the worlds of
OCR is also working with “trailblazer” employers
their occupation between four and five times.
educational and employment, OCR is playing
in the key sectors of engineering, health,
We need to make sure that the skills acquired
a vital role in meeting these challenges and
retail and professional services to devise new
during an apprenticeship are broad enough
ensuring the security of British businesses
assessment standards for apprenticeships.
to allow for change.”
well into the future.
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OCR | business profile
“The real-life context means that students can see the relevance of what they’re learning”
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CBI: 50 Years of Business Innovation | A CHANGING SOCIETY
“Oxford Brookes excels at forging strong business links and providing firsthand industry experience”
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Oxford Brookes University | business profile
Building better connections Oxford Brookes University www.brookes.ac.uk
Asked to sum up the spirit of her university,
formal spaces, and it really does achieve that,”
– projects between the university and companies
Dr Anne Gwinnett, Director of Corporate Affairs
says Dr Gwinnett. “It’s a very modern environment
that enable the exchange of knowledge, technology
at Oxford Brookes University, doesn’t hesitate:
with an incredibly open feel, in which students
and skills. Five of these KTPs were shortlisted for
“We’re about being connected.”
can work in groups or independently. It encourages
national awards in 2014, and a collaboration with
The institution has a rich history. Founded in
them to stay on campus and learn. Even at 9 pm,
YASA Motors won the Engineering Excellence
1865 – and celebrating its 150th anniversary this
it’s full of students working and collaborating.
Award in Innovate UK’s Best of the Best Awards
year – it started life as the Oxford School of Art.
The building has quickly become the heart of
2014. Eighty per cent of the university’s projects
Showing early signs of its ability to forge strategic
the university.”
have been graded as “outstanding” or “very good”
links, it developed from borrowed rooms in the
A library, a suspended lecture theatre that
in comparison to the national average of 55 per
Taylor Institution Library in the heart of Oxford
appears to hang in mid-air, the students’ union,
cent. “KTPs are all about working collaboratively
to a technology school, a college and a polytechnic
eateries and student support services complete
with businesses, and the results have been
before attaining university status in 1992.
the impressive space. The building has won
astounding,” says Dr Gwinnett.
Its educational focus has remained true
a number of plaudits, including a 2014 Royal
The university’s Social Entrepreneur Awards,
over the century and a half of its existence:
Institute of British Architects (RIBA) National
which are open to staff, students and recent
for students to learn by doing and through
Award. It was also recognised in the 2014 RIBA
graduates alike, further encourage an enterprising
connectedness with businesses and other
Stirling Prize midlist as one of 15 buildings that
approach to learning. One such beneficiary was
like-minded institutions.
made the greatest contribution to the evolution
the Broken Spoke scheme, which received £11,900
of architecture in the previous year.
to strengthen the culture of cycling in Oxford by teaching bicycle maintenance and proficiency.
A modern environment This concept of connectedness was pioneered
Industry partnerships
Similarly, The Knowledge Project was awarded
by the university’s former leader and namesake,
Meanwhile, industry collaboration links
£9,000 to deliver affordable and accessible evening
John Henry Brookes, so it’s fitting that a new
students with the outside world. The university’s
classes in Oxford. “Social enterprise is an area
facility that enables today’s 17,000-plus students
Motorsport Engineering course, for example,
we’ve become known for as an institution,” says
to connect with one another is named after him.
works closely with Formula 1 racing, and
Dr Gwinnett.
The John Henry Brookes Building opened
provides placements with Lotus F1, Mercedes
Encouraging innovation and enterprise
in February 2014 and, with its social learning
and McLaren. Its Sustainable Vehicle Engineering
is a must for any university, but Oxford Brookes
space, has helped to radically change the
Centre, on the other hand, is a leader in electric
excels at forging strong business links and
student experience.
vehicle research.
providing first-hand industry experience. As its
“The architects talked about the building
In addition, Oxford Brookes has cultivated
latest building exemplifies, the university’s spirit
offering fluid boundaries between social and
many Knowledge Transfer Partnerships (KTPs)
of connectedness is truly tangible.
•
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CBI: 50 Years of Business Innovation | A CHANGING SOCIETY
“Bath shapes its students to be the leaders and innovators of the future”
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University of Bath | business profile
Human Resources Thinkers. Professor Veronica Hope Hailey is a member of the steering group for the UK government’s task force on employee engagement, while Professor Rob Briner focuses on the use of evidence-based practice
A nurturing ground for enterprising minds
for HR managers. NEW FACILITIES Another new venture is The HIVE, which opened last September. The £1 million building project is the first to be completed at the university’s
University of Bath www.bath.ac.uk
planned Building Research Park, and will be home to cutting-edge studies into construction materials and their efficacy. Supporting research in areas such as hygrothermal performance, flood, wind and construction load, The HIVE has already attracted widespread industry interest and collaboration requests. “This facility enables us to conduct work with industry practitioners,” says Dame Glynis, “and also informs our own research into advanced materials.” This sort of knowledge exchange is of potential benefit to a host of industry partners, who are eager to offer scholarship programmes to secure the very best students. These include
Age can bring wisdom, but youth offers innovation,
Links with industry
such prestigious companies as BP, Lloyds, Ford,
vitality and a fresh perspective. These are three
One reason for the university’s excellence in
Sagentia and Schlumberger.
characteristics that the University of Bath, which
entrepreneurship is its strong links with industry.
“Over the course of just five decades,
will celebrate its 50th anniversary in 2016, has
“More than 60 per cent of Bath undergraduates
the University of Bath has set a standard
in abundance, boasting as it does a strong track
take a paid placement as an integral part of their
for innovation and entrepreneurship,” says
record in entrepreneurship and research.
degree,” says Dame Glynis. “We work closely
Dame Glynis. “We truly value innovative and
“Eighty five per cent of our first-degree
with researchers and industry partners to identify
entrepreneurial attributes in our research,
graduates move into top-level jobs, compared
opportunities for students, so that they can apply
staff, students and the industry experts with
to just 64 per cent nationally,” says Professor
their skills in a corporate environment.”
whom we collaborate. It will be exciting to see
Dame Glynis Breakwell, the university’s Vice-
Notably, Bath’s relationship with the Ford
where another half-century will take us.”
Chancellor. “Bath shapes its students to be the
Motor Company stretches back more than
leaders and innovators of the future, offering
24 years, and the car manufacturer has a base
them an array of opportunities and facilities.”
in the Powertrain and Vehicle Research Centre
One such opportunity is available at the
in the university’s Department of Mechanical
university’s Faculty of Engineering and Design,
Engineering. Recently, the collaboration has
where students are encouraged to explore the
helped to implement a 4 per cent improvement
commercial viability of their final-year project.
in fuel economy in Ford engines, resulting in
Student David Hutton’s water pump design, for
thousands of tonnes of reduced CO2 emissions
example, was cultivated with the university’s
per car per year.
support as a social enterprise that strove to
This spirit of innovation and willingness to
help farmers in developing countries. Today, the
challenge received wisdom are also much valued
resulting product – the flexipump, which is
qualities amongst the university’s staff. Two faculty
capable of pumping 1,600 litres of water an
members from the university’s School of
hour – is dramatically changing lives in Kenya
Management were recently listed by HR Magazine
and Tanzania.
as being in the UK’s top ten Most Influential
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CBI: 50 Years of Business Innovation | A CHANGING SOCIETY
Shaping business education through practice University Of Bedfordshire www.beds.ac.uk
“Our ambition as a business school is to be known
introduced to enable students to work directly
with keynote speakers including Keith Vaz MP
for taking global business education, research
with public and private-sector organisations,
and Naman Ajitsaria, the Executive Director of
and practice in imaginative directions,” says Dr
building directly on their academic learning.
the Prithvi Group of Industries. “The launch of
Gordon Mellor, Executive Dean at the University of
“Companies are delighted to have students
the series is an exemplar of what our business
Bedfordshire Business School (UBBS). “We want
work with them on real issues,” says Dr Mellor.
school and university is championing,” says Dr
our students to develop creative mindsets
“These collaborations impact both businesses
Mellor. “Through it, we’re establishing practice
that lead imaginative futures for our local
and communities, and give students the confidence
as a defining feature of our educational model.”
communities and businesses.”
to work alongside experienced practitioners.”
In 2012, the school employed five Professors
Practice rather than theory drives the student
In 2012 UBBS overhauled its curriculum,
in Management Practice. These distinguished
experience at UBBS. “Theoretical content isn’t
not just to differentiate itself from other business
practitioners combine business leadership in
difficult to find, so the diversity of context here
schools but to place itself ahead of them. This was
the private sector with interventions into the
has a real effect on student performance,” says
done through combining practice-led initiatives
curriculum through lectures, discussions and
Dr Mellor, outlining the Business School’s
with the traditional theoretical rigour of university
seminars. Their contributions renew and refresh
educational approach. “We see our students as
business schools. Initially separate from the
UBBS’ vision to be a business school that has
leaders of futures, who can have an immediate
curriculum, Practice Weeks are now embedded
a place both in the world of business and the
and positive impact in the workplace. But to do so,
into the framework of the entire undergraduate
community. Further expressing this vision are
students need to be provided with the skills and
programme. By 2014, UBBS was operating more
the artworks and graphics that cover the walls of
attributes that employers look for in graduates.”
than 40 Practice Weeks during the academic
the school, representing its intentions, historical
year, with all students able to engage with
context and focus on student experience.
organisations or consortia.
Above all, UBBS seeks to help students find
Local hero
imaginative solutions to the problems presented
UBBS has around 5,700 undergraduate and postgraduate students, as well as 140 full-time
ethos of practice
to businesses. As Dr Mellor explains: “At the
academic staff, making it one of the largest
To clarify and embed this ethos of practice,
University of Bedfordshire Business School
business schools in the East of England.
the school set up a monthly high-profile guest
we are reshaping business and management
The university’s annual contribution to the
speaker series, Leadership Futures. It was
education for a truly global, employability-driven
local economy is some £300 million.
launched at the House of Commons in 2012
and always imaginative experience.”
UBBS understands that potential employers need graduates who are flexible and demonstrate a subtle understanding of the complexity of business problems. Practice Weeks were
176
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“ We see our students as leaders of futures, who can have an immediate and positive impact in the workplace”
University Of Bedfordshire | business profile
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CBI: 50 Years of Business Innovation | A CHANGING SOCIETY
Adding social value to the knowledge economy University of Bradford www.bradford.ac.uk
Academia is often criticised for being detached
APPLIED KNOWLEDGE
student population. The student body comprises
from the concerns of everyday life. However, this
The focus is very much on vocational courses
around 18,000 students, including those based
could never be said of the University of Bradford,
such as computing and engineering, as well
in Bradford and others overseas, and nearly
whose motto underlines its practical approach
as on applied learning where students find
two thirds of those from the UK are from a
to learning: “making knowledge work”.
solutions to problems that address a genuine
black and minority ethnic (BME) background.
Indeed, the institution, which was set up in
need. With improving healthcare a priority for
Proportionally, this represents the third highest
1966 under the Wilson government, is committed
any society, Bradford students are working to
BME population out of all 131 higher education
to research that tackles social issues such
prevent health problems, not just cure them.
institutions in England. And, despite having a
as poverty and international conflict. With the
To this end they have assigned researchers
significant number of students from deprived
oldest and largest peace studies department in
across a range of departments, including the
backgrounds, Bradford has one of the best
the world, Bradford has been instrumental in
Schools of Health and Life Sciences, and of
employability rates in the UK.
the creation of civil societies. Graduates have
Engineering and Informatics.
“We glory in the fact that this is a place of
taken key roles in conflict resolution, such as
The university was recently awarded
great ethnic and social diversity, but it’s also a
the Middle East peace process and landmine
£13 million to build an enterprise zone dedicated
place that delivers into society,” says Professor
clearance in Central America.
to digital healthcare. It is now building a health
Cantor. “We deliver quality professional and
“We’re committed to outstanding research
and well-being centre that will provide not only
vocational courses that provide great job
that delivers value to society, such as improved
GP-led services, but will also test new research
prospects for graduates.”
healthcare, as well as working with industry,”
into a more efficient use of information technology
Always looking ahead, Bradford has already
says Professor Brian Cantor, the Vice-Chancellor
in healthcare. The university is also ranked in the
drawn up a 10-year roadmap. At an estimated
of the university. “It’s all about the knowledge
world’s top three for polymer engineering, and
cost of £250 million, the aim is to grow by 50 per
economy – the use of knowledge to generate
research is ongoing into the use of polymers
cent – including in student population, research
real value to compete globally. As the technology
to create implants for surgery.
output and overseas activities. With its global reach and determination to solve real-world
university of the north and one of the few research-intensive ones in the UK, our mission
A diverse student body
issues, this university is no ivory tower, but
is the application of technology to solve real-
Not only is the university based in a vibrant
rather somewhere that “making knowledge
world problems.”
multicultural city, but it also has a diverse
work” is put firmly into action.
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“Our mission is the application of technology to solve real-world problems�
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Higher education was, for many years, seen as “education for education’s sake”, a lofty pursuit that was divorced from the reality of industry. Today, more universities, businesses and students acknowledge the need to work towards a common
Embracing A businessfacing outlook
goal, nurturing skills to enhance Britain’s economy. “Being a business-facing university is in our roots,” says Julie Newlan, Pro Vice-Chancellor at the University of Hertfordshire (UH). “We are built on land donated to create a college for the aeronautical industry. It’s part of our DNA.”
University of Hertfordshire www.herts.ac.uk
UH was named Entrepreneurial University of the Year in 2010, and sees industry as part of its culture. “We understand that links with industry have to pervade every area,” says Newlan. “It isn’t just about having a fantastic business school – it’s about teaching differently throughout. It’s about really listening to what employers need and embedding that in our programmes. It’s a deeper way of working.” Part of this is connected to the university’s dictum of “learning through application”. To this end, it has a simulated intensive care unit, a mock pharmacy, aircraft and racing car simulators, and a law court that is so realistic it was used to film the BBC drama Silk. Student-led initiatives The university also encourages student-run projects. The Heritage Hub, for instance, explores collaborations between academic disciplines and heritage groups, often organising volunteer placements in this growing sector. Recent projects have traced the history of Wheathampstead High Street, focused on papermaking in the Gade Valley and coursed the global rise of Italian-style coffee – the last of which involved animation students, who developed a short film, and graphic design students, who created a logo for local coffee equipment specialists Mulmar. The university also hosts a Careers, Employment and Enterprise service, which forges strong links with businesses, including Santander, Ocado, Capita, UK Trade & Investment and the NHS. Having recently partnered with Extremis Technology, for example, UH helped to test and validate the performance of hurricane shelters under simulated extreme conditions. “With small and micro businesses, we’re able to offer support and consultancy, mentoring them on how to take placement students, how to train,
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University of Hertfordshire | business profile
how to manage,” says Newlan. “That fulfils
are supported with mentoring, seed funding and
Such initiatives have played their part
a need for businesses while being worthwhile
the university’s business start-up programme.
in UH achieving an impressive 93.2 per cent
for the university and our students.”
Meanwhile, its Flare competition offers
graduate employment rate in 2014, up from
investment, workshops, mentoring and boot-camp
88.8 per cent in 2013. “Our graduates are
Incubating business ideas
sessions. Recent proposals include computer
work-ready with a set of attributes that
UH also boasts a social enterprise unit. “It’s for
programmes to help people with dyslexia, and
employers want,” says Newlan. It’s about
entrepreneurial students,” says Newlan, “an
podcasts to share health education in hard-
weaving employability into every area of the
incubation unit for those who are setting up their
to-reach areas of Africa. In 2014, 24-year-old
university, enabling UH’s strong, business-
own businesses.” Students are introduced to
Tatjana Apukhtina, and her business partner
facing DNA to support students and companies
these opportunities through modules within their
Matthew Blakemore, won Best Idea for their
– and working in unique and productive ways
course, and those who want to take things further
social media shopping app, Looks Good On Me.
to enhance UK plc.
•
“ We understand that links with industry have to pervade every area. it’s about really listening to what employers need”
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A Pioneer of the post-industrial era University of Salford www.salford.ac.uk
The City of Salford was the crucible of the
degree in popular music (with former Smiths
third in England for the number of projects
industrial revolution and its higher education
guitarist Johnny Marr as a regular guest lecturer
it has with businesses. The physiotherapy
has always played an active part in local industry.
and visiting professor) and received much media
department, for instance, has developed
The University of Salford was granted a University
coverage when it launched a BA in comedy
strong links with the Professional Footballers
Charter in 1967 and traces its roots back to two
practice (featuring Salford alumnus Peter Kay).
Association and provides physios for top football
Victorian-era technical colleges.
“Media is a huge industry,” says Purdie, “and
clubs. The Business School won the 2014 Times
“They were originally set up to meet the new
Salford has some extremely successful alumni in
Higher Education Award for Business School
skill demands of industry,” says Malcolm Purdie,
this field, in the shape of Christopher Eccleston,
of the Year, receiving particular acclaim for
Head of Commercial Services, Research &
Ben Kingsley, Maxine Peake, Jason Manford and
actively seeking out collaborations with small-
Innovation at the University of Salford. “And that,
others. The university is also renowned in other
and medium-sized enterprises.
effectively, is what we still do – but the industries
creative and cultural sectors, such as fashion –
“The university works hard to make our
have changed and our graduates now work both
our students’ work in this area is well received,
facilities relevant to businesses,” says Purdie.
globally and locally.”
and graduates have gone on to work at Burberry,
”Facilities include the Energy House, a two-
The university still retains links with
Monsoon, Vogue and Elle, to name a few.”
storey Victorian house that has been rebuilt
manufacturing. “We’re on the doorstep of
The university has established a campus
inside an environmentally controlled chamber.
Trafford Park, the biggest business park in
at MediaCityUK in Salford Quays, with students
It allows businesses and researchers to explore
Europe,” says Purdie, “and our renowned
from various subjects working alongside the BBC,
ways to improve the energy efficiency of normal
College of Science and Technology shares
ITV and other media providers. “We have studios
houses and to trial retrofit products.”
its expertise with many of the firms based
and facilities that are hired by the BBC and other
One of the most adventurous collaborations
there. We give students the skills to work more
media companies,” says Purdie. “One criterion is
has been the Spray Research Group’s work on
effectively across all our disciplines, whether
that they have to use our students as part of the
an eco-friendly aerosol valve design, which uses
that’s media, healthcare, architecture or
behind-the-camera team, giving them invaluable
compressed air instead of liquid petroleum gas
business. Academic study and work placements
vocational experience.”
propellant. The fruits of this research are being commercialised by a company called SALVALCO.
go hand in hand, which is why we have such a good employability outcome for our students.”
Take your partners
“Many universities seek links with industry,”
The university prides itself on establishing
says Purdie. “But, whatever metric you use,
Arts and crafts
fruitful corporate partnerships. In the
when it comes to collaborating with businesses,
This upskilling process even applies to the arts.
Department for Business, Innovation & Skills’
the University of Salford does very well indeed
Salford was the first UK university to offer a
2013 Witty Review, the university was ranked
– we punch well above our weight.”
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University of Salford | business profile
“We give students the skills to work more effectively across all our disciplines, whether that’s media, healthcare, architecture or business”
183