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HE-Business Engagement work
The Regional Economic Strategy (RES) identifies HE as one of the key assets of
the North West highlighting significant potential for HE engagement in the
economic development of the region, specifically in improving productivity by
innovation and knowledge transfer, and in developing higher level skills.
Addressing this opportunity, HE-Business engagement work at NWUA is funded by
NWDA
and
HEFCE
and aims to facilitate HE understanding and response to regional and national
priority sector needs across the research, innovation, knowledge transfer and
skills agendas.
Our objectives across the skills agenda are delivered by the
Higher Level Skills Partnership (HLSP)
which aims to achieve a step change in employer engagement through higher level
skills brokerage and the development and delivery of new provision which meets
employer demand. Our HE-Business Engagement programme complements this work by
ensuring that the region’s HEIs are engaged – with both businesses and policy
makers – beyond the skills agenda reflecting the broad contribution they can
make to regional economic development.
In line with regional priorities, NWUA is actively engaged in HE-Business
Engagement work in the following sectors:
Advanced Engineering & Materials
Business & Professional Services
Digital & Creative
Environmental Technologies
Food & Drink
Sport
Tourism
NWUA aims to be responsive to the specific needs of each sector and our
activities are tailored accordingly. However, three core lines of activity are
pursued across all sectors:
Engagement with sector stakeholders
Each sector is supported by an NWUA Sector Development Manager with a remit to
engage with key sector stakeholders. Typically these include the Regional
Cluster Organisations (or equivalent), the
NWDA Sector Leads, the
Sector Skills Councils and
Business Link Sector
Team Leaders.
Alongside ongoing engagement, NWUA provides HE representation on the Sector
Skills and Productivity Alliances (SSPAs) facilitating HE sector input into
identifying and addressing the higher level skills needs of the regional
sector.
NWUA is also building on its successful model of training provision to Business
Link Train to Gain brokers by providing sector specific training to Business
Link IDB brokers. This training is designed to ensure that brokers are aware
of, and able to inform businesses about, the research capabilities in the
region’s HEIs, and the various mechanisms through which these can be accessed.
Academic Advisor Network
NWUA has established a network of Academic Advisors in each sector to provide
HEIs with a route to engage in key regional activities across the priority and
growth sectors. These enable NWUA to both disseminate sector specific
information directly to relevant HEI staff and also to canvass opinion and
consult HEIs on key sector issues. The network is briefed through the NWUA
Sector Development Manager on a variety of opportunities including business
engagement, sector skills needs, research, training and networking.
The Academic Advisor Network in each sector is also supplemented with an
electronic network of academics and knowledge transfer professionals ensuring
that information exchange occurs across all 14 North West member HEIs.
Research Capability Mapping
To better enable knowledge exchange, the research capabilities of the region’s
HEIs are being mapped across each sector (for previous mapping exercises see
here). Depending on the specific
requirements of each sector this will result in publication of a brochure or
database of relevant HEI capabilities across the region enabling HE-business
engagement intermediaries such as Business Link to better identify and promote
the HE offer to business. The Environmental Technologies database is available
here.
NWUA Advisory Groups
NWUA’s
NWUA's Advisory Groups
can also be utilised to assist when partners and stakeholders request specific
research competences and expertise within the HE Sector. More information on
the Advisory Groups can be found by following the links below.
Research Advisory Group
Enterprise Advisory Group
Culture Media and Sport Advisory Group
Widening Participation and Skills Advisory Group
Health and Social Care Advisory Group
Learning and Teaching Advisory Group
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