Higher Futures news digest
Week ending 17 April 2009
Welcome back to the Higher Futures new digest, which returns after a brief break for Easter.
Higher Futures news
- Event – Go Higher - Stay Local progression opportunities fair
Thursday 23 April 2009, HUBs, Sheffield Hallam University Students' Union - Event – Sustainable communities employer breakfast event
Friday 8 May 2009, The Source at Meadowhall, Sheffield - Event – Barnsley Open Space: Leadership Development Event
Thursday 21 May 2009, University Campus Barnsley
This event has been organised by West Yorkshire Lifelong Learning Network and is supported by Higher Futures, amongst other partners.
Lifelong Learning Network news
- Event – LLN National Workstrand: Engineering
Tuesday 5 May 2009, Birmingham University
General news
- 14-19 education – Diploma students set to treble (BBC, 6 April 2009)
The number of pupils taking Diploma qualifications in England will treble to 40,000 next September, says the Schools Minister Jim Knight. - 14-19 education - £50m for expansion as Diplomas reach ‘tipping point’ (DCSF, 6 April 2009)
Diplomas are reaching the crucial ‘tipping point’ as new figures show that over 97 per cent of local authorities will be offering the new qualifications by September 2010, Schools Minister Jim Knight said. - Admissions – UCAS Annual Admissions Conference (DIUS, 8 April 2009)
Speech by Minister for Higher Education and Intellectual Property, David Lammy, at the Hilton Metropole, Birmingham. - Government – New commissioners announced for UK Commission for Employment and Skills (DIUS, 1 April 2009)
Skills Secretary John Denham today announced the appointment of two new Commissioners for the UK Commission for Employment and Skills. - Higher education – ‘It’s the Pol Pot school of levelling down’ (Guardian, 31 March 2009)
Hundreds of courses face the axe – despite the push for universities to retrain the unemployed. - Higher education – Report shows public investment in higher education benefits the economy and society (HEFCE, 1 April 2009)
An evaluation published today be HEFCE shows that money put into higher education institutions in England for working with businesses and the community has yielded benefits worth many times the investment over the past seven years. - Higher education – Universities need incentives to be more strategic (DIUS, 2 April 2009)
There needs to be more incentives for dynamism and innovation in order for the higher education sector to take a more strategic approach to the current and future needs of the economy, John Denham said today. - Higher education – Full universities turn away thousands (Times, 9 April 2009)
Up to 50,000 sixth-formers will be denied places at university this autumn because of a surge in applications combined with a freeze in undergraduate places. - Regional – Labour Market Statistics: February 2009 (Yorkshire Futures, 1 April 2009)
- Regional – Experts find that skills hold the key to business survival in Yorkshire and the Humber (LSC, 30 March 2009)
A ground-breaking £10 million training and skills initiative has helped create hundreds of new jobs and support thousands of businesses in Yorkshire and Humberside, according to research published today. - Skills – Universities and colleges to offer real help now for communities in tough times (DIUS, 9 April 2009)
Successful bidders for share of £50m in economic investment match funding scheme announced. - Skills – Universities offer downturn help (BBC, 9 April 2009)
England’s universities and colleges are sharing a £27m fund aimed at helping people and businesses through the ongoing recession. - Skills – New guidance to make the most of every taxpayer’s pound spent (DIUS, 17 April 2009)
New guidance to help Government departments encourage contractors to provide skills training and apprenticeships in all publicly let contracts was launched today by Skills Secretary John Denham and Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury Angela Eagle. - Vocational education – Record number of adults gain vocational qualifications (DIUS, 26 March 2009)
A record number of adults gained vocational qualifications in the past academic year, according to National Statistics published yesterday. - Vocational education – VQ Day (Guardian, 31 March 2009)
Advertisement feature. Guardian supplement.
Events
- Event – Podium: 2012 Games Workshops for Further Education Colleges
Tuesday 28 April 2009, Park Lane College, Leeds - Event – Knowledge Transfer: Delivering a Route to Growth – How HE Institutions can add value to the UK economy
Thursday 7 May 2009, 1 Great Georges Street, London - Event – Mental Health Issues in HE Aimhigher Seminar
Wednesday 20 May 2009, Alfred Denny Building, University of Sheffield - Event – The Changing Landscape of Lifelong Learning
Thursday 21 May 2009, Birkbeck, University of London - Event – The Supporting Professionalism in Admissions (SPA) Annual Conference
Tuesday 2 June 2009, Manchester Conference Centre, Manchester - Event – SEEC Annual Conference: Credit-based curricula: choices and challenges
Thursday 18 to Friday 19 June 2009, University of Westminster, London - Event – EAN (European Access Network) Annual Conference
Monday 22 to Wednesday 24 June 2009, York St John University, York - Event – Skills and business expo 2009
Tuesday 23 to Wednesday 24 June 2009, Excel, London - Event – VQ Day
24 June 2009 - Event – FACE (Forum for Access and Continuing Education) Conference 2009
Wednesday 1 to Friday 3 July 2009, Staffordshire University - Post-event information – HEFCE Annual Conference 2009
Current challenges for higher education and their future implications
Wednesday and Thursday 1-2 April 2009
Publications
- Newsletter – Action on Access e-bulletin: April 2009
- Newsletter – 14-19 Spring e-bulletin
- Publication – The ASET Code of Practice: A Good Practice Guide for Placement and Other Work-Based Learning Opportunities in Higher Education
- Publication – Student finance practitioners’ pack
- Report – Evaluation of the Effectiveness and Role of HEFCE/OSI Third Stream Funding: Culture Change and Embedding Capacity in the Higher Education Sector Toward Greater Economic Impact
- Report – DIUS: Participation Rates in Higher Education: Academic Years 1999/2000 – 2007/08 (Provisional)