Learning through Work at the ‘Engage’ conference

On Tuesday 15 January Judy Saxton, from learndirect, and David Young, from the University of Derby, presented a discussion session on Workforce Development at the Higher Education and the Workplace conference, hosted by The Higher Education Academy.

The conference is the culmination of an Employer Engagement Project titled 'Engage', funded by The Higher Education Academy, has sought to facilitate dialogue between employers and universities, with the aim of developing a clear understanding of the higher skills agenda relating to engineering, physical sciences and materials.

The project has been looking at the implications of the Leitch Review of Skills (2006) that emphasised the need to increase the number of employees attaining higher level skills and recommending that a proportion of HE funding be delivered through demand led mechanisms.

Learning through Work is an ideal way to bring employers and universities together to create demand led routes to higher education. The discussion session will focus on how Learning through Work can do this, and include examples of how the University of Derby have made Learning through Work successful for them.