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The Science and Industry ProgrammeIan Woodward
University of Leicester
Draft for Comment
ContentsSummaryIntroduction and aimsThe reasons
Innovation and competitive advantageTheories of learningInstitutional commitmentThe justification
Theory into practice: developing the productThe project teamDeveloping the teamUniversity regulationsQuality assuranceMarket research and analysisLearning from the development phase
Theory into practice: implementationPromotion and recruitmentFeesMonitoring progressThe lessons from the implementation phase
Costs and benefitsCosts: the development phase Costs and accrediting prior learningThe cost of teaching and learningBenefits
Outcomes and conclusionsWork-based learning at Sanofi WinthropPlanning individual programmes of work-based learningConclusions
Summary
One of the Employment Department (now the Department for Education and
Employment) projects to stimulate work-based learning (WBL) has been based at
Leicester University. The Leicester initiative has been at Masters level, exclusively in
science disciplines, and has the shorthand title of Ôthe Science and Industry
ProgrammeÕ. The development of WBL at Leicester has been based on MSc degrees
in Molecular Pathology and Toxicology, and Biomolecular Technology. The
corporate markets which they address are medical sciences, pharmaceuticals, and the
food and beverage industries. Therefore, both in terms of expertise and the markets
they address, the emphasis is very much on research and development.
The major aim of the project has been to develop an effective means of advanced
level training and development Ð i.e. to embed the learning processes in the
workplace so that new knowledge gained could be more easily implemented in
practice. The cornerstone of achieving this aim is the planning of tailor-made
learning programmes, agreed by the University, individual, and employer. The first
step is to profile the individual and the employing organisation. These profiles
indicate the extent to which credit for prior learning (APL) can be offered, and the
resources and time available within the employerÕs organisation to facilitate
workplace learning. From this profile, the individualised learning plan is generated
to meet the requirements of the modularised syllabus for each MSc degree. A typical
learning plan, might involve
· (a small amount of) credit given for APL
· workplace learning gained through private study (for which library facilities are an
essential)
· workplace based experience of using enabling technologies
· attendance at modules of the full-time MSc degree at the University
· a project carried out in the workplace, on which a dissertation is based.
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The balance between attendance at the University, and learning at the workplace, is
decided by reference to the facilities and supervision that the employer can offer, and
an assessment of individual capabilities. All participants undertake some taught
modules at the University.
Within this broad aim, there have been a number of issues to resolve:
· the management of an educational innovation: forming and developing an
appropriate team, and ensuring support at senior levels within the University
were prime considerations. The team was composed of existing members of
staff, with the benefit that the expertise gained remained within the University
rather than being dispersed once the project was completed.
· analysing the market: given the specialist nature of the two MSc degrees, the
market was relatively narrow. In broad terms, there were three types of
organisations Ð those that did not expect to invest substantially in staff
development, those who would invest but generally had short term skills aims
and did not consider that there was value in employees acquiring further
qualifications, and those employers who did place value on staff development
and the gaining of further qualifications
· developing an appropriate product: market research showed potential demand
for an educational product which was relevant to employersÕ needs and did
not require participants to spend long periods of time away from the
workplace. By profiling both potential students and the resources available in
their workplace it was possible to design a tailor-made programme for each
individual.
· costs and benefits: the process of profiling has a dual function Ð not only does it
result in a practical learning plan for each individual, but it can also have the
commercial role of Ôclosing the saleÕ. Our experience showed that the
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process of negotiation with corporate clients could be protracted, and
therefore more expensive that first envisaged. In areas of advanced science,
there is not as much price elasticity in the market as there is, for example, in
management and business studies. Therefore the relatively high cost of
profiling cannot be met from fees alone. Work-based learning of this type can
be justified, providing the individual programmes can mesh with existing
courses, and other benefits from closer contacts with employers, such as
contract research, are considered
· accrediting prior learning: at the outset this appeared to be a significant issue,
since experience was showing that the portfolio method of collecting data for
assessment was time-consuming for all involved Ð the individual, the
employer and the University. In practice, science laboratories in the relevant
sectors maintain comprehensive records which can provide a convenient and
attestable source of data for assessment. Accrediting prior learning was
therefore a reasonably cost-effective process
· technology transfer: since the initiative was based on areas of the University with
national and international reputations for science research, the potential
existed for directly embedding new processes within the workplace. There are
indications that this is being successfully if the process has employer support.
In conclusion, the most significant contributors to success have been the
establishment of a project team which blends high level expertise in scientific
disciplines, with commitment to the idea of widening access to the UniversityÕs
expertise, and commercial acumen. Secondly, it is important to identify corporate
partners who have a commitment to staff development and to product or process
innovation. If this combination can be achieved, work-based learning in advanced
science can be highly effective.
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Introduction and aims
Work-based learning is a relatively new term in the vocabulary of education. It
describes ways through which people can learn systematically from their experience
in the workplace. As a result of an initiative by the Employment Department, there
have been a number of development projects, based at universities throughout the
UK, to set up and evaluate experiments in work-based learning. This report describes
one of the trial projects which ran from 1994 to 1996 at the University of Leicester.
Amongst the mix of these projects, the initiative at Leicester has been in some ways
unique since (i) its focus has been on a tightly defined market Ð scientists working in
the food and beverage, pharmaceutical, and medical science sectors; (ii) it has
offered accreditation towards a postgraduate rather than first degree; and (iii) the
programme has been delivered by areas of the University with strong national and
international research profiles.
The ÔScience and IndustryÕ project at Leicester University was established to
1. develop, at postgraduate level, a robust system for accreditation of learning
occurring in the workplace, targeted on scientists working in research and
development roles. The workplace learning to be accredited was of two kinds:
prior (experiential) learning, gained through the ÔnaturalÕ process of
working in R&D, and project based learning gained from undertaking
practical investigation in the laboratory
2. provide a vehicle, through the continuous professional development of R&D
scientists, for technology transfer. Thus two areas of the University, both of
which have strong research records, have been directly involved in the
development and provision of the work-based learning initiative
3. ensure that the learning programmes undertaken by participants would be of at
least equal quality to the more traditional full-time MSc provision of the
University
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At the beginning of the project, in 1994, there were a number of ideas and issues
current in higher education which needed further investigation and development.
Three of these were broad themes relevant to all levels of education:
· competences: the relationship between knowledge and the ability to perform work
tasks
· competitiveness: the contribution that a better educated workforce can make to
economic competitiveness
· NTETs: the achievement of National Training and Education Targets for a better
educated workforce.
A further four areas were largely concerned with the role and impact of education on
the world of work:
· the learning organisation: the idea that continuous learning within the workplace
is essential for competitive advantage
· accreditation of prior learning: recognition of learning achievements gained
outside the normal routes of teaching and learning at university
· technology transfer: the improvement of mechanisms for transferring research
output to business and industry
· innovation: the need to bring new products and services to market quickly and
effectively.
Finally, there were two issues to take into account which concerned the
ÔbusinessÕ of managing university services:
· financial viability: the steady reduction in Government funding of higher
education meant that any new products should be financially self-sufficient
· individual and employer commitment: the market need to develop education
products which would be attractive to the corporate market, and thus, in turn
attract individuals aiming to improve their employability.
A development project which encompassed these diverse issues and ideas was
ambitious. In sum, the Science and Industry programme set out to provide a cost-
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effective means of training and development for individuals in employment, at
postgraduate level. These individuals could act as a conduit for transfer of relevant
research and technologies to support innovation. In the process, the learners could
gain a recognised qualification, at Masters degree level, which would attest to their
competences in particular specialisms. The employer would benefit from access to
the UniversityÕs research expertise, and from the development of the employeeÕs
competences as a scientist.
There were a number of reasons why work-based learning was an attractive way to
pursue these aims. Perhaps the most important was that it would necessarily involve a
three way learning partnership of the employee as learner, the employer, and the
University to facilitate the acquisition of competences in the workplace.
Each would have a vested interest. The
University would gain from improved
contacts with industry, and from fee
revenue. The employer would benefit
from both staff development relevant
to the needs of the organisation and
from the opportunity to access leading
edge research expertise. The individual
learner would achieve a recognised
qualification which should enhance
their employability.
The Employee/Learner
The The University
Employer
If the project was ambitious, there were grounds for believing that there was a good
chance of success: there was a basis at the University of successful development and
provision of postgraduate courses in collaboration with industrial partners, and there
was a project team with the enthusiasm and commitment to develop an innovative
new programme.
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This report describes how the development project was executed in practice, the
lessons to be learned from our experience, and provides brief case study evidence of
the optimal situation for the application of our approach to WBL. First, however, the
report examines the justification for investment in a WBL project to develop
specialists in scientific disciplines.
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The reasons
The Science and Industry Programme has sought to improve access to postgraduate
level qualifications in science. However, it has not attempted to substantially increase
the numbers of students studying at this level. Instead, the focus has been on
improving access for a relatively small cadre of scientists employed in research and
development laboratories. There were three major reasons for undertaking the
project:
· firstly, the economic importance now placed on innovation to produce
competitive advantage prioritises technology transfer from academic research
to industrial application;
· secondly, a view derived from theories of learning, and from observation, that
professional development activity based in the workplace could be more
effective than off-line training interventions;
· finally, there was the institutional commitment to extend postgraduate provision,
and increase employer involvement with the University.
Innovation and competitive advantage
One of the most influential modern economists is Michael Porter, best known for his
work on competitive advantage. He makes three points which are relevant to the
economic aims of the Science and Industry programme:
1. competitive advantage can only be achieved at organisation level. Constant
improvement and innovation are central to this task
2. a relatively small number of highly skilled specialists provide the driving force
for innovation
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3. it is the task of the employer to develop these individuals Ð the role of the state
should be confined to providing the infrastructure of (general) education.
The globalisation of business has generated a much more competitive environment in
which rates of innovation are a key factor in success. Innovation (though not confined
to product research and development) is itself a process. Initial ideas need to be
refined and developed, transferred into production, and must of course lead to
consumption by the market Ð an innovation which no-one uses is scarcely successful.
Nevertheless, the process of innovation often starts with research and development,
and this requires high levels of specialised knowledge and skills. Therefore an
effective interchange between academic research, industrial research and
development, and the acquisition of specialist skills could be a significant contributor
to innovation. This potential is recognised in the successful Teaching Company and
Integrated Graduate Development Schemes, and now also in the Technology
Foresight Challenge programme which supports academic-industry collaboration in
both research and development and postgraduate training.
In broader terms, the stated aim of the UKÕs National Targets for Education and
Training explicitly acknowledges the importance of education and training to
competitive advantage:
To improve the UKÕs international competitiveness by raising
standards and attainment levels in education and training to world
class levels...
The detailed national targets recognise the need for employers to make a
commitment to continuing education and training, and for 60% of the workforce to
be qualified at intermediate level, with 30% to attain qualifications which are at (the
equivalent of) higher education level. Nationally most attention has focused on
improving the supply of qualified technicians, and on expanding higher education to
produce more first degree graduates. There has been relatively less attention placed
on postgraduate level provision, despite clear evidence of market demand and of the
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effectiveness of initiatives such as the Teaching Company and Integrated Graduate
Development Schemes which support innovation through the development of
individuals at postgraduate level.
Study at Masters level is one of the fastest growth areas in UK higher education,
particularly through part-time and other flexible methods of delivery which enable
participants to continue to Ôearn while they learnÕ. The figures speak for
themselves. The Harris Report reveals that the part-time postgraduate sector grew by
52% between 1992 and 1995, outnumbers full-time postgraduate students by a ratio
of 4:1, and that these students Òare primarily studying in areas relevant to, and often
combined with, their work.Ó Crucially, however, many of these students follow
postgraduate courses in business and management. The numbers pursuing advanced
courses in science and technology are lower. Secondly, there is evidence to suggest
that many of those pursuing postgraduate degrees are doing so at their own behest
rather than with employer support: the demand for postgraduate study may well stem
more from individual than from employer commitment.
There were, therefore, two parallel streams of evidence: significant demand from
individuals for Masters degrees, and the success of a limited range of postgraduate
level programmes which met the needs of employers for both high level skills
development and made a contribution to innovation and change. The Science and
Industry programme sought to capitalise on these two parallel streams by matching
the acknowledged research expertise of the University with individuals wishing to
develop careers as research scientists, and employers requiring specialised high level
expertise in research and development. In short, it has aimed to develop excellence in
defined spheres of R&D activity, and therefore to foster the processes of innovation
with the ultimate aim of improved organisation performance. The extent to which
this might work in practice was to be tested through the implementation of the work-
based learning programmes.
Theories of learning
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The second area of justification for the project comes from the theory and practice of
learning. In recent years there has been a growth of interest in the natural process of
learning from experience (as opposed to the more formal teaching processes normally
associated with university education). This interest has been largely inspired by the
work of David Kolb. The two fundamental ideas which underpin KolbÕs thesis are
· that learning is a proactive skill
· that people learn through interaction with their immediate environment.
Employees will actively seek to learn from their workplace environment, and if
learning is to be seen as a major contributor to organisation performance, then the
workplace must provide opportunities to learn. KolbÕs work has therefore been
coupled with ideas of dynamic learning organisations which constantly refresh and
acquire new competences in order to improve organisation performance. This is not
simply a matter of encouraging employees to register on staff development
programmes. There is also the need to facilitate learning through engineering the
work environment Ð for example by forming multi-disciplinary teams and creating
opportunities for individuals to experiment.
A second influential line of thinking about learning has been Donald SchšnÕs
research into reflective practice. Professionals apply knowledge in their day-to-day
work, and can reflect on their experience to augment their stock of knowledge and
competences. The skill of reflection is one which can and should be developed, but
this takes a longer time than is needed to acquire, for example, a focused IT skill such
as learning to use a particular piece of software. To achieve the aim of developing
reflective practice, employers would need to devote substantially longer time to staff
development than is the current practice (over half of all employer-led UK training
lasts less than a week).
If theories of learning, no matter how carefully researched, are to be applied then
they must be practical. A growing number of employers now recognise the need to
develop a culture of learning within the organisation, and to improve the learning
skills of the workforce. Two of the best known examples of concerted actions to
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develop learning organisations are possibly the ÔRover Learning BusinessÕ, and
Ford EDAP schemes. However, it is still the case that many employers have a
narrower view of investment in staff development, and for them training must be
closely tied to the needs of particular jobs. If the Science and Industry programme
was to encourage learning and reflective practice within the workplace, and in so
doing contribute to the development of learning cultures, it would need to have the
appeal of relevance to employers.
The Science and Industry programme therefore needed to develop a methodology to
fuse these three aspects Ð relevance to employer needs, creation of a learning
environment in the workplace, and development of reflective practice. This was also
to be tested in practice during implementation.
Institutional commitment
In recent years, the University of Leicester has seen a substantial growth in
postgraduate provision, to the stage where approximately one third of the
complement of registered students are postgraduate, and a large portfolio of
professional postgraduate degrees is offered. The University has a distinct research
culture, and this can make postgraduate teaching and supervision attractive to staff
since there can be a relatively close relationship between research programmes and
courses for post-experience learners. As one Dean at Leicester put it ÒIt helps you to
get ideas sorted out if you know that theyÕre going to come under informed
scrutinyÓ.
If there are advantages from the relationship between postgraduate teaching and
research, offering an extensive programme of Masters degrees carries with it the
disadvantage that maintenance funding for student places is increasingly difficult to
obtain, and this can create recruitment difficulties for full-time courses, at least in the
home market. The development of flexible means of delivery, both through part-time
and distance learning opportunities has made a significant contribution to the growth
of enrolments at Masters level, since participants can continue to Ôearn while they
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learnÕ. However, part-time or distance learning would not necessarily be effective in
all disciplines. Part-time provision in science requires a potential market within
reasonable travelling distance of teaching and laboratory facilities, and the economics
of developing good quality distance learning materials as the basis for a course
requires both adequate demand to keep the unit cost affordable, and a reasonable
shelf-life for the content. The Leicester area alone would not sustain an adequate
market for part-time higher degrees in science, and the shelf life of specially written
distance learning materials for advanced science degrees would not extend beyond
two years. Neither part-time, nor distance learning approaches appeared viable as a
means of extending the market for MSc degrees in science to participants remaining
in employment.
Work-based learning offered a solution to the problem of flexible delivery of
advanced science degrees. There appeared to be three potential advantages. Firstly,
the market appeal would be much wider than the immediate vicinity of Leicester.
Secondly, there would be company sponsorship of participants, thus reducing
dependence on public sources of funding. Finally, participants could continue to
Ôearn while they learnÕ, though there would be some need to attend the University
for short periods of time. Again, the project would test in practice whether these
advantages would be realised.
The justification
In sum, the reasons for developing the project relied on three sources:
· an economic conviction that the development of high level skills in science-based
R&D, together with creation of a route for technology transfer from academia
to industry could assist with achieving and maintaining competitive advantage
through innovation
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· a conviction that a partial embedding of the staff development process within the
workplace would assist with the creation of learning organisations, and that a
well structured individual programme would stimulate reflective practice
· a conviction that it was in the interests of the University to pursue closer liaison
with employers in order to enhance the portfolio of postgraduate degrees.
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Theory into practice: developing the product
There were four important components in the development phase:
· the formation of a core project team to develop and implement the programme
· the submission and approval of University regulations for accreditation of prior
learning and of learning gained through planned activities taking place in the
working environment
· consideration of quality assurance issues
· market research and analysis
The project team
This was undoubtedly the most important aspect of success with the Science and
Industry initiative. The steady decline in public funding of higher education is
increasingly leading to an entrepreneurial culture within the University. This culture
is not uniform Ð some areas are substantially business oriented, others are in the
process of developing strategies to meet the reality of lower public finance. Since
work-based learning necessarily addresses a corporate market, it must have a business
dimension, and as a first step, it was decided to build the project on areas of the
University which were receptive to commercial ideas within education, and had
experience of similar activity. The sympathy with entrepreneurial activity was a
major factor in the success of the development process.
The core project team comprised a mix of scientific, commercial, and educational
skills, and a mix of responsibilities. The six members were drawn from three
different faculties within the University: Education and Continuing Studies, Science,
and Medicine. The team therefore operated on a matrix with its members responsible
to different line managers.
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The four staff from the medical and science faculties combined strong academic
research profiles with entrepreneurial activities Ð providing self-financing
postgraduate degrees as well as consultancy and analytical services for industry. The
postgraduate degrees included integral periods of structured work-placement
experience in industrial R&D laboratories.
The other two staff possessed both educational and commercial expertise. Their main
function in the University was to act as a catalyst for provision of continuing
professional development (CPD) activities by other University departments.
The University Director of Professional Development was responsible for overall
project management, and provided the initial impetus for the project. As part of
previous experience, he had directed a work-based learning programme though in
management rather than science, and sponsored by a single corporate client rather
than appealing across related industry sectors.
In sum, the team possessed a number of attributes which proved a sound basis for
achieving the project aims:
1. commercial and financial knowledge and experience
2. excellence in relevant scientific areas
3. previous experience of managing work placements in industry
4. and, in one case, experience of directing a work-based learning degree
programme.
These abilities were not shared out equally throughout the team, nor was all previous
experience directly relevant to the advanced scientific disciplines which form the core
of the Science and Industry programme. Commercial skills were possessed in greater
measure by the more senior members, and the experience of tailor-making degree
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provision to meet corporate requirements was confined to one individualÕs previous
responsibility for management development programmes.
Across all three areas of the University one common issue affecting the project was
resource capacity. Whilst this was in some measure a result of progressive reductions
in UK public expenditure on higher education, it was also a consequence of working
in leading edge areas of research, where it can be difficult to recruit staff. These
resource constraints effectively limited the numbers of participants who could be
enrolled on the Science and Industry programme. A potential solution to the resource
problem might have been to appoint a development officer for the duration of the
project. There were three reasons for rejecting this option:
1. there would have been recruitment difficulties, and major issues in preparing a
job specification meeting the requirements of all three faculties. Under these
circumstances it was unlikely that an appointment would have created
significant additional scientific teaching resource
2. development costs for the project would have increased, making the medium term
objective of widening the scope of provision by involving other departments
more difficult to accomplish, since on their part there would be a perception
of high entry costs
3. much of the expertise gained from the project would have been focused in the
development officer. Given the narrow range of the market, and limits on student
recruitment imposed by resource constraints, it was unlikely that fee revenue
would have been able to support a full-time post in addition to other costs for
delivering the programme. Once the initial development funding expired, it was
likely that the expertise gained would have been lost to the University.
The financial solution adopted was to provide salary compensation, from pump-
priming funding obtained from the Employment Department, for the three cost
centres involved. Though this approach did not directly create any additional
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resource, it did at least provide partial compensation for time spent on development
and implementation, and had the important advantage of embedding the expertise
gained within the established staffing complement of the University. Moreover, since
the core team was drawn from three separate faculties, there was greater opportunity
for informally promoting the ideas and experience gained from the project within the
University. Had the initiative been based in one department, the scope for informal
dissemination would have been significantly reduced.
If reliance on the established staffing complement had the two advantages of
embedding expertise and promoting (informal) internal dissemination, there was also
a short term operational disadvantage. The involvement of three separate faculties
meant members of the team were geographically remote from each other, with little
opportunity for informal contact (for example calling into each othersÕ offices,
chance meetings in the common room, or simply bumping into each other in the
corridors). Naturally this increased the difficulty of co-ordination which was more
formal in character than is the case with most development initiatives. Secondly,
there were occasional tensions between the competing responsibilities of members of
staff for research and education. Academic careers are largely built on research, and
in comparative terms research funding is significantly greater than the cash generated
by CPD activities. Whilst this was not a significant problem, the staffing of the core
team on the matrix principle, with accountability to line managers who are not
directly involved in the work-based learning initiative, could exacerbate this tension.
The core project team was supplemented by a steering group comprising
representatives of employers, Leicestershire TEC, the Single Government Office, and
the Employment Department. This group was chaired by an industrial representative,
from Unilever plc., and met periodically throughout the project cycle. The Steering
Group was charged with monitoring progress towards (quantified) objectives, and
ensuring financial probity. Given the geographic separation of the members of the
core team, the Steering Group also had a further important function Ð ensuring a
periodic meeting of the entire team for the purposes of review and planning. From
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the Project ManagerÕs perspective, certainly, this was the most valuable function of
the group.
One final, but very important feature of the core team was the extent of commitment
to extending access to specialist postgraduate education, and embedding staff
development in the workplace. There was a strong desire to see the idea of work-
based learning succeed. As one member of the team related (at a point in the project
when there was pressure on time and resource), ÔIt certainly helps to believe in what
you are doing!Õ
Developing the team
If the core team possessed a number of attributes which provided a sound basis for
achieving the project aims, there were also some gaps:
1. at the outset, there was no direct experience of accreditation of prior learning
(APL)
2. formal learning plans, agreed between the University, the individual and the
employer, and on which the quality assurance process would rest, were a
completely new area of activity for all involved
3. there was considerable educational debate at the time about the nature of
competences. How should competence based approaches be interpreted in the
context of advanced scientific degrees?
There was, therefore, a need for staff development, for the core team to gain the skills
required to achieve the project aims. Initially a formal process was tried. The core
team attended a dayÕs workshop on competences, accreditation of prior learning, and
learning contracts. This did not prove successful since there was a lack of relevance
to the actual problems confronting the team.
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A less formal approach (which owed much to RevansÕ ideas of action learning)
proved more successful. The more senior members of the team met, identified the
major issues, and developed solutions which were then tested in practice. Each
brought their own expertise Ð scientific, commercial and educational Ð to the
discussions. These meetings quickly clarified that
1. a competence based approach was inherent in the existing postgraduate courses
and would be an automatic feature of the work-based learning degree.
Students would gained a relevant knowledge base, acquire skills in the
application of enabling technologies and in areas such as health and safety,
and perhaps most importantly develop their (reflective) abilities to ask the
right questions in designing and carrying out experimentation. In short
training and development in advanced science already provided an object
lesson of good practice in the development of professional competences
2. the problems of time and cost associated with building a portfolio for assessment
of prior learning did not apply in the target market sectors. Product approval
procedures (e.g. for a new drug) necessitate that laboratories maintain records
such as comprehensive research project reports. There was, therefore, a readily
available and attestable source of information on which to base APL assessment.
In addition, there was also the possibility that some participants might already
have published refereed articles which would demonstrate their knowledge of a
specific topic area.
At the next stage, the two major issues left to resolve were a promotion and sales
strategy, and generating an effective process for designing individual learning plans
(the term learning plan was preferred to learning contract since it was felt to have a
more human rather than commercial connotation). These were dealt during the
implementation stage by informal discussion of the issues and by field
experimentation.
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University regulations
From a commercial perspective, it is of course necessary to develop a product before
offering it to the market. In the University context, the feasibility of accrediting
workplace learning depended on an adjustment to regulations for the relevant degree
programmes. These regulations and their implementation lie at the heart of the
quality assurance system, and initially it was essential to informally consult senior
members of staff to obtain the necessary commitment to creating new regulations and
piloting the innovation of accredited workplace learning.
The second step was, of course, to draft amended regulations and present these for
approval by the appropriate Faculty Boards, Board of Graduate Studies, and
ultimately the Senate. These regulations incorporate a ceiling for the extent to which
prior learning can be accredited since the University is in the business of developing
people rather than simply assessing knowledge and skills. Secondly, they permit
flexibility in the mode of delivery Ð there is no insistence on quantified periods of
time being spent in classroom or laboratory instruction. Assessment methods are
equally flexible Ð where knowledge needs to be assessed, a formal examination may
be used alongside assignments and project reports. The overall aims and content of
the programmes paralleled the requirements of the full-time taught Masters degrees,
and therefore at least the equivalent standards of quality were assured. However, to
take account of the possibility that individuals or employers might have particular
specialised requirements, the regulations also permit the creation of new modules on
the approval of a Faculty Dean. Therefore, any special needs could be quickly met
without recourse to the lengthy approval systems of the various University Boards
and Senate.
Quality assurance
Perhaps more important than the formal systems for approving new degree
regulations, is the overriding culture of the University. Firstly, there is a strong belief
in the value of academic rigour. ÔVocationalismÕ in the sense of 1:1 skills training
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is not well received. The Science and Industry project aimed to develop reflective
practice as well as extend the knowledge and skills base of participants and did not
seek to simply train scientists in narrow skills. The main thrust was ÔdevelopmentÕ
of high level competences rather than ÔtrainingÕ: all participants were required to
have a base of relevant scientific knowledge on which to build, and to be intent on
developing their careers rather than converting to a science career. There were,
therefore, no contradictions between the aims of the project and the prevailing values
of the University, though it was essential to make this point during the consultation
process.
Secondly, there is at Leicester (as at other universities) a perceived risk that employer
involvement may adversely affect the quality of learning. The University culture also
places strong emphasis on the Ôduty of careÕ which staff feel towards registered
students. Any individual failure to complete a course of study, whether for academic
or other reasons, is taken extremely seriously. Since the project required pursuit of
learning at the workplace, responsibility would be placed not only on the University,
but also on the employer to allocate resource and create conditions which would meet
the quality standards necessary for accreditation towards a higher degree. The
University quality assurance procedures would ensure equivalence in academic terms
with conventional, taught Masters study but only, of course, for successful
candidates. Should there be any significant levels of drop-out or failure on academic
grounds, the sharing of Ôduty of careÕ with employers might be seen as an
abdication of the UniversityÕs responsibility.
Experience of managing periods of work placement, integrated into the conventional
full-time Masters degrees, has shown that employers generally share concerns for
quality assurance and the Ôduty of careÕ, and may even offer resources and levels of
support which exceed the UniversityÕs own provision. However, at the outset of the
project, in 1994, direct experience of managing work placements was not widespread
within the University, and therefore there remained some residual doubt that the
involvement of employers could adversely affect standards. These doubts were not
entirely without foundation: the project-based work placements were short term in
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nature (from three to five months), and employersÕ attitudes to the workplace
learning of their own employees as opposed to ÔguestÕ students, might be markedly
different. Within the project team, there was personal experience of utilising work-
based learning as part of management development programmes, and this experience
showed that employer commitment could at times vary even within the one
organisation (and despite Main Board approval for the programme). Though it should
be emphasised that problems were very much the exception rather than the rule, a
very small number of students had been affected by, for example, increases in
workload or relocation, and on one occasion by the withholding of information
necessary for carrying out workplace enquiry as part of the degree programme. If
new degree regulations were to be approved, and the medium term aim of extending
accreditation of workplace learning to other postgraduate programmes within the
University were to succeed, then at the feasibility stage means had to be identified of
safeguarding the interests of individual students. The method chosen was the three-
way learning agreement, drawn up between the University, the employer, and the
individual, and specifying both the employerÕs and UniversityÕs obligations to the
individual learner.
Market research and analysis
Externally, there was commercial risk to consider. Under a previous Employment
Department initiative Ð High Technology National Training (HTNT) Ð the
University of Leicester had established a number of full-time, experimental courses at
Masters degree level. The HTNT initiative required market research to identify
labour market demand, collaboration with employers in the design of the courses, and
a period of project based work experience as part of each course. HTNT provided
development finance and operational costs for the intensive 12 month courses, with
the aim that they should eventually become financially self-sufficient through both
employer and individual commitment. Despite the early cancellation of HTNT, the
courses continue to operate, to attract good numbers of applicants, and to achieve
high rates of employment in relevant occupations following graduation. Therefore in
labour market terms, there were good grounds for believing that the knowledge and
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skills provided by MSc level study were in demand from employers. Whilst this was
a positive indicator, with work-based learning we needed to assess corporate demand
for an innovative staff development programme, rather than individual demand for
upgrading competences and qualifications and the subsequent success of graduates in
the labour market. Therefore, further market research to define likely demand, and
decide on a promotion strategy was essential.
The first consideration was the extent of the likely market. In the UK at least, demand
for continuing professional development (CPD) in high level scientific skills is
markedly lower than demand for training and development in management areas
which are probably viewed as more immediately relevant to (commercial) success, or
than demand for skills required by legislation Ð for example, in health and safety.
Disciplines such as management and health and safety also have the advantage of
appeal to a wide range of organisations from different sectors, and to various
functions within those organisations. The same is not true of advanced professional
development in science. The content reflects particular scientific disciplines, and
therefore inevitably faces a narrower market. It would be necessary to pay particular
attention to the sales and promotion strategy.
Secondly, there was a need to consider how this market would react to an innovative
approach to staff development. The project team had substantial contacts with
employers, through consultancy, joint research, and employersÕ involvement with
the conventional taught courses. These contacts provided a base for market testing the
idea of work-based learning, and these enquiries showed employer support Ð at least
in principle. However, previous experience within the team of educational
innovations pointed to a potential gap between Ôin principleÕ support and take up of
a new and unfamiliar product. The market for education can be conservative; in the
popular conception ÔeducationÕ means ÔcoursesÕ through either face-to-face
contact or by distance learning. It did not, at the time, generally mean accreditation of
learning in the workplace. With the development of employer strategies to establish
learning organisations, the value of accredited workplace learning may be more
widely recognised, but for the purposes of assessing the commercial feasibility of the
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Science and Industry programme, there appeared to be a significant, if acceptable,
level of risk. Had there been certainty about take-up and consequently financial
viability, there would have been no requirement for external funding. However, the
project was addressing a comparatively narrow market which might retain a
traditional view of staff development, and for these reasons the Employment
Department was approached to make a contribution to development and pilot testing
costs, over a two year period.
Market research surveys were conducted, at management level, in fourteen
organisations. The results showed that employers surveyed fell into three categories:
(a) those who expected to recruit qualified R&D scientists at postgraduate and post-
doctoral levels from Universities, rather than themselves invest in staff development
at these levels; (b) 'traditional' companies which identify a need for professional
development of scientists, but do not necessarily wish staff to gain further
qualifications; and the final category of (c) organisations which value and support
employeesÕ professional development and attainment of further qualifications.
On a survey size of fourteen organisations, it is clearly inappropriate to draw any
firm conclusions. However, the research also suggested that among other
considerations to take into account, were the emphasis being placed on Ôcore
activitiesÕ, and on ÔdownsizingÕ. The relevance of this for training and
development is perhaps summed up best in a quote from the journal Chemistry and
Industry: ÔA major obstacle to attracting students to courses nowadays is the politics
of being seen to be away from your jobÕ. Our survey research confirmed this view Ð
even among the category (c) organisations which were supportive of CPD leading to
higher qualifications, there was considerable interest in a mode of delivery which
both offered relevance to strategic aims and meant that employees would not need to
be absent from the workplace for substantial periods of time.
Learning from the development phase
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Overall, the most important aspects of product development were the human
dimensions rather than the systems for establishing accreditation procedures.
Forming the right team was crucial. An important consideration was a blend of
· relevant experience and direct contact with the market
· commitment to the idea of extending access to higher degrees
· a significant science research profile which was recognised by the market
· educational ideas matched with business skills.
The general culture and values of the University were supportive of the initiative:
these place emphasis on ensuring the success of individual participants, and therefore
a great deal of care was taken to develop an approach which sought to identify
employers with a strong commitment to the development of their employees. Market
research showed that around 33% of organisations in the target sectors might show
this commitment, and that relevance to employer needs plus flexibility would be
critical factors in attracting registrations.
The team operated on a matrix, with different members responsible to different line
managers. It was also drawn from three separate faculties of the University, and this
meant that there was a geographic as well as organisation distance between team
members which made co-ordination slightly more complicated. The alternative would
have been to recruit on temporary contracts a distinct and tightly focused team using
external funding. However, it was unlikely that this approach would have created
significant additional science teaching resource, and at the conclusion of the funding
period the expertise built up by the contract staff could have been lost to the
University.
The development of the product was largely a matter of developing the project team.
Formal approaches to staff development were less successful than team meetings
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which identified the issues, and proposed solutions which could then be tested and
refined in the implementation phase.
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Theory into practice: implementation
As with product development, implementing the programme also involved linked
and overlapping stages:
· promotion and recruitment: devising methods for attracting enquiries, converting
these into registrations, and designing the tailor-made programmes to meet
individual and employer requirements
· fees: calculating the costs of the programme, and setting fee levels which were
appropriate to the market
· monitoring progress: commencing the study programmes and successful progress
towards the goal of gaining a Masters degree.
Promotion and recruitment
In practice, the predictions from the market research were substantially accurate.
This meant that considerable promotion effort was required to identify category (c)
organisations, and to recruit suitable participants to meet target registration numbers.
Doubts about the conservatism of the market also proved accurate. The promotion
strategy which emphasised work-based learning was less successful than advertising
opportunities for part-time study. Quite simply, the term Ôpart-timeÕ was one which
the market recognised and understood, and it was important to use this terminology
to attract enquiries. In the process of converting these enquiries into registrations, the
approach which emphasised meeting both individual and employer needs was
decisive when there was an apparent choice between different Ôpart-timeÕ courses.
Personal contact with both individuals and management was also important to
demonstrate the commitment of the University to offering a customised programme.
The main promotion channels were to provide information on the opportunity to
existing contacts, to distribute a carefully targeted mailshot, and to advertise in
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professional journals. In addition, a stand at an appropriate exhibition was mounted,
and advertising was ÔdistributedÕ on the Internet. A brochure was produced for
inclusion in the mail-shot, to distribute at the exhibition, and as a follow-up
procedure to enquiries generated by personal contact and by advertising.
Without doubt the most effective strategy was personal contact, with enquiries
generated from the mailshot taking second place, and advertising in professional
journals Ð third place.
Understandably, the idea of work-based learning was new to many employers.
However, the prospect of undertaking staff development which is relevant to the
needs of the organisation, and does not require lengthy periods of time away from the
laboratory, was and remains attractive to those employers who are supportive of staff
gaining further qualifications. Equally important, this prospect may also, in current
conditions, be attractive to employees who might not wish to risk job security by
campaigning for training and development which is not immediately relevant to the
employerÕs interests. A dual approach, appealing both to the individual and to
management, proved essential.
During the implementation stage, the market for the programme, did not (of course)
remain stable. The pharmaceuticals sector was affected by a succession of take-overs
and mergers. This instability led to a hesitation to take decisions on staff development
programmes. Secondly, the process of ÔdownsizingÕ led not only to less time being
available for staff to pursue lengthy development programmes, but also to less
management resource being available to consider plans for staff development.
Therefore the process of negotiation with employers took much longer than
anticipated. Finally, but importantly in the context of the relatively narrow market
being addressed, one potentially major client took a decision to emphasise
management training in its staff development policy and this meant a further
reduction in the potential market.
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In commercial terms, enquiries have to be converted to sales, and while there was
little hesitation in offering the programme to employer contacts with whom a
personal relationship had already been established, negotiating with unknown
company managers was a new departure for a number of the team. Academics, after
all, have their primary interests in research and teaching Ð direct selling is largely
outside their experience. As one team member put it: ÔI thought I was going to the
firm to profile a potential student, not to sell the programme. If IÕd known in
advance IÕd get involved in selling I probably wouldnÕt have gone!Õ Nevertheless,
this was a successful sales visit, and one which gave confidence and new skills to the
team member.
The development of pro forma for profiling the employer organisation and the
individual student was also a problem-solving process. The principles of assessing
prior learning through attested evidence, of determining areas where the individual
required further training and development, and of matching these with the capacity of
the employer to provide resource and support were first discussed and agreed. The
more detailed approach of gathering information about individuals and the employer
organisation was worked out and refined as experience was built up of profiling and
planning the learning programme. Negotiated and agreed plans show:
1. the extent and basis on which credit is given for prior learning
2. the activities which will be carried out on the employerÕs premises, the resource
needed for this, and the time for learning activities to be allocated within
normal working hours
3. the extent and duration of attendance on modules and for practicals at the
University
4. the inclusion and extent of independent study through guided reading
5. details of the project to be carried out as part of the programme
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6. the name and status of the workplace supervisor
7. the fees to be paid to the University.
In addition a computer based package has been developed which allows prospective
students to assess their existing skills and knowledge, by ÔbrowsingÕ through sets of
questions and obtaining feedback on their answers. The questions are configured and
set by members of academic or company staff, and therefore the application extends
beyond the immediate confines of the Science and Industry project. The package is
intended as an input to the planning process, rather than a verifiable method of
assessment.
A spin-off benefit of this package can be the resolution of disagreements between
individuals and their employer. Situations have arisen where the individual feels less
confident than the employer of their knowledge and abilities in a particular area. The
individual may prefer to undertake further learning, whereas the employer might feel
that this is unnecessary. In these situations the software package can help to resolve
the disagreement.
Fees
A further aspect of marketing was the task of setting fees. Since each enrolment
requires an individual learning programme to be generated, tuition fees also need to
be individually assessed. This was done by reference to the fees charged for full-time
study.
When they were first established the two full-time MSc degrees were expected to
recover their costs from student fees alone, without support from the Higher
Education Funding Council. The same fee levels are applied to the work-based
learning variant though a pro-rata calculation is included to reflect the elements
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which are carried out in the work-place. In crude terms, the more resource which the
employer commits to the process, the lower the fee charged by the University.
A major issue remains the question of price elasticity. In some fields of postgraduate
study there is a wide range of fees charged Ð for example, the fee levels for MBA
programmes can vary by some 500%. The same significant differences are not found
in science, probably for two main reasons. Firstly, there is a long-standing tradition
that scientific knowledge is freely shared: science research depends on the free
interchange of ideas and development. Secondly, there has been a drive to increase
the number of students studying scientific and technology subjects at UK universities.
It is not always easy to recruit these students, and therefore a high proportion of
science degrees attract financial support from the Funding Councils.
The advantage of close relevance to employer needs, and links with high quality
research activity does mean that some organisations are prepared to pay a premium
fee, though as one corporate manager advised, ÒThere are limits; be careful not to go
too far!Ó. Our experience suggests that a fee differential of up to 100% is acceptable
to the market, but that if fees paid by the client organisation rise over double the
normal level, this would be unacceptable. Quite simply, the market would purchase
other cheaper alternatives.
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Monitoring progress
The students recruited have come from a variety of organisations and follow a similar
variety of study programmes in terms of the credits awarded for existing
competences, and the relative contribution of the employer and the University. They
range from an individual working at technician level, to fully fledged members of
research teams. Similarly the employers are from both private and public sector
organisations, and vary in size between major international corporations and
specialist small businesses.
To date all employer-sponsored students who have registered and commenced study
are maintaining good progress. Assignments are received on time, the employer
contributions to the learning programme are being successfully implemented, and
taught sessions at the University are attended as planned. Despite the fact that initial
negotiations to define the learning plans took longer than expected, this appears to
have been time well spent since these have proved robust and have not needed re-
negotiation.
The lessons from implementation
Without doubt the main lesson has been that direct personal contact with the client
organisation has been the key to successful recruitment and agreement on robust
learning plans. The tailor-made approach has proved successful in attracting both
employers and employee-students with commitment to acquiring new knowledge and
competences.
The promotion and recruitment effort needed to achieve this success has been
considerable. Profiling both potential students and their employing organisations has
had the dual function of building sound learning plans, and in commercial terms of
convincing corporate clients to make the investment. However, the market for
postgraduate degrees in science will not permit the same price elasticity as, for
example, in business and management. For historical reasons, and due to market
competition, the level of fees needs to be set fairly competitively.
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A second factor which complicates the recruitment process is identifying the
decision-maker in the target organisations. In many cases the main corporate training
budget is held by a central training function, with line managers holding subsidiary
budgets for immediate (technical) training needs. The training functions will possess
expertise, and provide rolling programmes in the more common requirements Ð
health and safety, human resource management and so on. Specialist training in
discrete areas of science will be regarded as the domain of specialist line managers,
but, of course, they often do not hold adequate budgets for protracted postgraduate
courses. This can mean internal demarcation disputes, and inevitable time delays.
Costs and benefits
Despite the perennial difficulty of calculating cost (unless an off-the-shelf formula is
used) cost guidelines need to be included in an evaluation. Financial management is
an essential part of working life, and organisations which ignore the financial
dimension run obvious and grave risks.
Costs: the development phase
The cost indications given below relate only to the University, and include one
important assumption. The full-time courses which formed the base for the project
had been designed in consultation with the relevant industries. There was no need,
beyond the normal need for review and up-dating, to formulate a completely new set
of aims and content. It was a new and more flexible approach to delivery which was
required.
On one level it is feasible to assign a cash value for staff time, include an overhead
charge, and add direct costs for advertising and promotion, travel, printing etc. This
calculation shows that development and recruitment costs (i.e. the costs borne prior to
the start of the teaching/learning stage) were just over £84,000. A contribution to
these costs of almost £53,000 was made by the (then) Department of Employment.
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External development funding created costs which would not have been incurred if
the initiative had been financed by the University without Employment Department
support. The time and resources spent on meetings, travel and reporting have
amounted to a total of some £12,000.
The project encompassed three faculties, and involved development of two degree
courses. Development of a single course, within one department of the University,
would not have incurred the same level of costs. Some expenditure, for example joint
planning meetings and on a more tangible level the design and production of a
brochure were shared. Taking this factor into account, it would seem reasonable to
project the costs for development of a single Masters degree to be at least 35% lower
than those incurred for the Science and Industry programme.
More importantly, much of the process of designing and implementing work-based
learning was new to the team. Had the appropriate knowledge and expertise been
available within the University, development costs would have been substantially
reduced Ð arguably by as much as 50%.
If the objective is to develop a single, existing postgraduate degree to make it
available through a work-base learning approach, our experience would suggest that
costs in the order of £23,000 could be anticipated. This figure includes allocation of
overhead, and assumes that a convenient source of expertise is available to the
development team.
Costs and accrediting prior learning
This was initially an important consideration. The portfolio method of accrediting
prior learning (APL), used in other disciplines such as Nursing and Social Work, was
proving very resource intensive, both from the student and staff dimensions.
No such problem exists with the scientific research community. Laboratory R&D
projects in the three target areas of medical sciences, pharmaceuticals and food and
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beverage must be fully documented. Quite simply, if they are not, the products under
development will not be permitted onto the market. Industry, therefore, must
maintain a full and attestable set of records which can be used to identify individual
competences, and hence provide a convenient source of APL data. Assessing
competences acquired through previous learning and experience is therefore
relatively straightforward in the disciplines and industries which were targeted, and if
not negligible, is a relatively small component part of the cost of building the
learning plan.
The cost of teaching and learning
Though the cost for accrediting prior learning was not as high as predicted at the start
of the project, the process of Ôclosing the saleÕ and agreeing individualised learning
plans proved more expensive than anticipated. Understandably those employers who
did place value on the professional development of their staff were keen to
thoroughly validate the programme offered by the University. From initial
advertising and promotion through to final agreement on the learning plan, a prudent
estimate of the cost would be £500 per student.
A formula approach has been used to calculate the cost and hence fees for delivering
individualised teaching and learning programmes (post-recruitment). This takes into
account the need for monitoring progress, generating materials for guided reading,
attendance at the University for laboratory practicals and taught modules, and the cost
of assessment.
The work-based learning students attend part or entire modules alongside students
studying full-time. The teaching and learning costs are therefore calculated as a
percentage of the cost for full-time study. Thus, as an example, a student who
requires to attend 20 hours of lectures and three weeks of practicals at the University
would pay 80% of the fee for the full-time course. (The full-time course is intensive,
extending over 12 months and comprising over 1200 hours of tuition, practicals and
project research in addition to private study time).
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Benefits
Arising from the project, the University has developed new contacts with employers.
Demand for the work-based learning degree also appears to be growing, and the aim
of diversifying the market to ensure the viability of the degree programmes is being
achieved.
In time, the new contacts with employers may provide opportunities for further links
in the areas of consultancy and collaborative research. However, it will take some
further two years to fully identify benefits, and calculate the value to the University
of this initiative. In the interim, it is unfortunate that further cuts in the public
funding of higher education have occurred. This inevitably places a strain on
resources in universities, and creates uncertainties. Staffing complements for the two
postgraduate degrees have been maintained, and this has vindicated the decision to
build the Science and Industry programme on existing resources. Had contract staff
been appointed and funded from the development budget, it is likely that the
expertise would by now have been lost to the University.
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Outcomes and conclusions
The modest recruitment targets of ten students have been met. Since a central
principle of the programme is to ensure flexibility in delivery, the ten are at various
stages from application and initial profiling through to progressing well towards
gaining postgraduate degrees. Further negotiations for corporate contracts are
underway with both the public and private sectors. This, however, is only a limited
measure of success since it ignores the broader aspects relevant to technology
transfer, and embedding the learning process within employer organisations. These
are discussed below through
· a case study from the pharmaceuticals company Sanofi Winthrop
· a description of the methodology used to gather data and plan the customised
learning programmes.
Work-based learning at Sanofi WinthropWith the benefit of a good first degree in biochemistry, Nicola Bowen has spent almost three years as a research scientist, working at the Alnwick site of pharmaceuticals company Sanofi Winthrop. The company was formed as the result of an alliance and subsequent acquisition by Sanofi SA, the French healthcare and beauty company, of Sterling WinthropÕs prescription medicines business. The result is a major international company with a promising and highly-regarded research pipeline focusing on anti-cancer, central nervous system and cardiovascular prescription drugs. In total, there are over 200 employees at the Alnwick R&D site, of whom 44 work in the Toxicology Department which is organised into sections to meet the requirements of the regulatory agencies. Nicola is a member of the Ôtrouble shootingÕ team which undertakes special studies as required.
The company has always been supportive of continuing professional development, and were keen for Nicola to pursue her interests in toxicology (which had not been a major component of her first degree). Full-time postgraduate study was not an option, and so a survey of available part-time Masters courses was undertaken. There were, in fact, relatively few part-time toxicology courses available; and most were considered too general in scope. The Leicester course Òseemed to be the right oneÓ.
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There was a good mix of topics, of relevance to company needs, and the work-based learning approach offered maximum flexibility. In addition there were perceived to be advantages from contact with the national Medical Research Council (MRC) Toxicology Unit, which is based at Leicester, and also interest in the molecular biology component of the course, an area in which Sanofi-Winthrop was keen to strengthen its capabilities. The company was particularly enthusiastic about the process of profiling: this gave Nicola and the management an opportunity to learn more about the aims and content of the course, and established that the UniversityÕs approach was to serve the interests of Nicola Òas an individualÓ.
The tailor-made ÔpackageÕ designed for Nicola is a mix of
¥1 credit for prior learning, attested by her project work within the company ¥2 new learning, gained through attendance on modules delivered at the University,
and through guided private study consisting of specified reading accompanied by a study guide
¥3 experience of application of enabling technologies, both at the University and within the companyÕs laboratories
¥4 a project, relevant to company needs, and carried out in the workplace.
Workplace mentoring and supervision is provided by company management, who are committed to and supportive of the development programme.
In many ways this is a text-book example of how the work-based learning programme was planned to operate in practice. The existing full-time course, on which the work-based learning variant is based, was purpose designed to meet the needs of industry for advanced level toxicology work, and therefore there was a basis of relevance to company needs. This relevance was enhanced by the flexibility which work-based learning provides, the benefit of association with a recognised centre of excellence Ð the MRC Toxicology Unit , and the prospect of technology transfer in the area of molecular biology and hence the possibility of innovation.
From the UniversityÕs point-of-view, the maintenance of records in the firm enabled the process of APL without recourse to lengthy construction of a special portfolio. This aspect of the programme can therefore be managed cost-effectively. Nicola has a maturity, and from her background as a research scientist, an ability to work independently using source material. Therefore an element of guided independent
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study could also be introduced to further enhance flexibility. Sanofi-Winthrop management are clearly supportive of the process, and have the commitment to provide study time, supervision and mentoring by an experienced research scientist, and laboratory resources to enable Nicola to successfully pursue the programme. (Not all employers who have enquired about work-based learning have been committed to the necessary extent, and on occasions it has been necessary to withdraw from negotiations when employers requirements did not meet the University quality parameters and concern for the Ôduty of careÕ).
In essence, the text-book nature of this case study rests on the fit between the
University and the company. Both are pursuing the same objectives: design and
delivery of a high quality, flexible development programme, relevant to both
individual and employer needs, and with the potential bonus of technology transfer
from academic research to industrial application and innovation.
Planning individual programmes of work-based learning
Each student and employer is interviewed to build the profile which will then result
in the design of an individual learning plan. A member of University staff conducts
these interviews, following the topic headings shown on the pro-forma below:
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Conclusions
The essential ingredient has been not simply the creation of a three-way learning plan
involving the individual, the employer, and the University. It has been perhaps more
important Ð as the case study from Sanofi Winthrop demonstrates Ð to build a three-
way partnership based on mutual commitment to the process. From the UniversityÕs
standpoint, careful interviewing and selection of committed students and employers
has been the cornerstone of the success of the project. The process of student and
employer profiling was not merely an educational device, it was also an important
part of the sales process. It created the opportunity for structured personal contact
with the individual and employer, and effectively Ôclosed the saleÕ. This meant, of
course, that the task had to be undertaken by someone who possessed the necessary
personal qualities to impress the client organisation both as a scientist and in a
business sense. Equally important, from the employerÕs and individualÕs
perspective the process afforded the chance to select the University as a supplier,
rather than procuring on the evidence of marketing materials alone.
Within the University, the project team was the main vehicle which allowed issues to
be identified, solutions proposed, and field tests and refinements made. The Leicester
team was built from a base of strong scientific research performance, experience of
working with employers, a culture of entrepreneurism at department level, and
specific education and business skills. There was, in effect, a multi-disciplinary mix
which ideas such as the Ôlearning organisationÕ and Ôbusiness process re-
engineeringÕ advocate. Within the context of the wider University, the culture and
values which emphasise the quality of student learning, and the Ôduty of careÕ
supported the idea of recruiting students not only on the evidence of their personal
abilities, but also on the grounds of the support and commitment afforded by their
employer.
The experience of the team now remains within the University. In the current
financial situation within UK higher education, this has proved important. It provides
a continuity which will allow ongoing recruitment of students to the two degree
programmes, and also makes available expertise to other areas of the University
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which are considering this mode of delivery. Some three further postgraduate degree
courses are at various stages of development. (Interestingly, however, the same
pattern of work-based learning will not be exactly replicated due to differences in
both content and the market).
The market for the two degrees which formed the Science and Industry programme
was relatively narrow. Only some 30% of the total number of organisations in the
target market were true potential clients, with a commitment to investing in lengthy
programmes of staff development. Due to a number of factors, the process from
advertising through to final recruitment of participants took several months. This had
the benefit that the customised learning plans have proved robust, but had the
commercial disadvantage of high costs. It is difficult to offset these costs against
substantially higher fees since science has a history of freely sharing expertise, and
financial support from the Funding Councils effectively reduces the fees for
competitor products. Nevertheless, within the restrictions of this market it has been
possible to set premium fees, due to the association of the programmes with
recognised research performance, and the tailor-made approach. It is to be hoped that
as relationships develop with employers there will be additional spin-off benefits
from collaborative research and consultancy.
The development of a competence-based approach, and of a (cost-effective)
methodology for accrediting prior learning were simple to resolve. The science
degrees which formed the base for the programme were already competence-based in
the true sense: blending scientific knowledge with skills in applying enabling
technologies, and a central core of developing abilities to reflect and identify research
questions. Importantly, these were exactly the competences required by employers
seeking to invest in staff development.
Incorporating credit for prior learning was also a relatively easy process, since
laboratories in the target markets maintain verifiable records of staff abilities and
experience. The problems and expense of building portfolios were not significant for
the target group.
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The Science and Industry ProgrammeUniversity of Leicester
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Perhaps the most important conclusion, exemplified by the case study of Sanofi
Winthrop, is that the potential for work-based learning is significant when genuine
three-way partnerships are formed from combination of employer-, individual-, and
university-commitment. This may not be easy to achieve, and the prospect of
investing in a lengthy process of staff development may not be attractive to all
employers. Nevertheless, when an effective three-way partnership is established, it is
an immensely satisfying and productive achievement.
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