Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise
  • OHW+

Personnel Today

Register
Log in
Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise
  • OHW+

Learning & developmentOpinion

Employer-funded degrees: When employers trample through the groves of academia

by John Charlton 18 Mar 2008
by John Charlton 18 Mar 2008

A leaked higher education strategy document indicates the government wants employers to have an important role in funding and shaping degree courses. This should be handled with care.

With the government hell-bent on forcing every other teenager to go to university, it’s likely that employers will find themselves footing more and more of the costs. This is one underlying theme of a document, the Higher Level Skills Strategy, details of which have leaked out over recent weeks.

Realising the public purse is fraying at the edges, Whitehall policy wonks are looking at ways of funding more university expansion so there are sufficient places for 50% of 18 year-olds, and thus meet a target espoused by Tony Blair before the last election. Currently about 40% of 18-year olds go to university, though drop-out rates at some institutions are very high so the degree completion rate is probably far lower.

The carrot for any employer who wishes to stump up cash for academia is that they will be empowered to shape the scope and content of degrees they are funding â€“ presumably on a group basis. As the strategy document says: “We expect the great majority of this growth (in university expansion) to be in provision that is developed with employer input, either foundation degrees or employer co-funded places.”

Universities may also be incentivised to co-operate with employers. The strategy paper says such like would be given extra resources.

The document also envisages major changes in course structure and routine, such as introducing intensive attendance, so that degrees can be completed in two years or less. Such an outbreak of commonsense is long overdue: why students should have to rack up debt doing three-year courses that can be done in two is mystifying.

Other options include developing courses that can be taught in the workplace or online, and degrees that can be started at various times of the year.

Whether any of this will come to pass is a moot point but, given that many universities are dependent to varying degrees on local employer goodwill and largesse, it’s quite likely. This could see senior HR and L&D staff playing a major role in such developments. After all, they would be best placed to relate degree course design and content to employer needs. It could open up a whole new area of career development for them.

Some of the less wealthy universities may be tempted to dance to any tune employers might hum to get their hands on their cash. Believe me when I tell you that many academics now are devoted more to the pursuit of funding, and finding overseas students who pay high fees, rather than learning. It’s more than a bread and butter issue, it’s their livelihood.

If the government does go down this road, it must also ensure lines are drawn that protect higher education institutions’ image and standing. I don’t suppose we’ll get the KFC University of Oxford, but we could get the B&Q University of Everton or the Birds Eye University of Grimsby.

Both Everton and Grimsby have been mentioned as possible locations for 20 new universities that the government is considering. Certainly the poorer universities will be tempted by what may be offered should the strategy become reality. For example, the paper says growth in courses and student numbers will be “initially concentrated in those institutions which have shown they are willing to commit to working closely with employers.”

Sign up to our weekly round-up of HR news and guidance

Receive the Personnel Today Direct e-newsletter every Wednesday

OptOut
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

This may be, but universities need to preserve their dignity and standing otherwise the value of their qualifications will be seriously devalued. You need only look at some of the joint honours degrees offered with HR Management studies.

Joint honours degrees have a fine academic pedigree but I’m hard put to see the sense in combining Dance and HR management. Though maybe Waste Management and HR management, on offer at the University of Northampton, may offer some useful synergies for those planning an HR career in tight-wad organisations.

John Charlton

previous post
Is it time to take the plunge and pursue senior employees post termination?
next post
Computer reservations knowledge drives up travel agents’ salaries

You may also like

Culture, ‘micro-incivilities’ and invisible talent

14 May 2025

Investing in skills when budgets are tight

12 May 2025

Rethinking talent: Who was never considered in the...

7 May 2025

Eight ways to best support grieving employees

6 May 2025

Leading with honest feedback: A responsibility in recruitment

24 Apr 2025

High-level apprenticeship spend doubles in five years

16 Apr 2025

Exploring the best London office locations for ‘Zillennials’

16 Apr 2025

Number of SMEs hiring staff in decline

10 Apr 2025

Gen Z and ‘conscious unbossing’: how can HR...

7 Apr 2025

How to build a commercially-minded workforce

3 Apr 2025

  • 2025 Employee Communications Report PROMOTED | HR and leadership...Read more
  • The Majority of Employees Have Their Eyes on Their Next Move PROMOTED | A staggering 65%...Read more
  • Prioritising performance management: Strategies for success (webinar) WEBINAR | In today’s fast-paced...Read more
  • Self-Leadership: The Key to Successful Organisations PROMOTED | Eletive is helping businesses...Read more
  • Retaining Female Talent: Four Ways to Reduce Workplace Drop Out PROMOTED | International Women’s Day...Read more

Personnel Today Jobs
 

Search Jobs

PERSONNEL TODAY

About us
Contact us
Browse all HR topics
Email newsletters
Content feeds
Cookies policy
Privacy policy
Terms and conditions

JOBS

Personnel Today Jobs
Post a job
Why advertise with us?

EVENTS & PRODUCTS

The Personnel Today Awards
The RAD Awards
Employee Benefits
Forum for Expatriate Management
OHW+
Whatmedia

ADVERTISING & PR

Advertising opportunities
Features list 2025

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Linkedin


© 2011 - 2025 DVV Media International Ltd

Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise
  • OHW+