BUILDING WALES' FUTURE - UNIVERSITIES WALES MANIFESTO FOR THE 2021 SENEDD ELECTIONS
←
→
Page content transcription
If your browser does not render page correctly, please read the page content below
BUILDING WALES’ FUTURE UNIVERSITIES WALES MANIFESTO FOR THE 2021 SENEDD ELECTIONS
BUILDING WALES’ FUTURE UNIVERSITIES ARE CHANGING. IN A WORLD EXPERIENCING RAPID CHANGE, OUR UNIVERSITIES HAVE NOT STOOD STILL
OVER THIS SENEDD TERM, WALES HAS
FACED UP TO THE CHALLENGES POSED
BY CLIMATE CHANGE, GLOBAL VOLATILITY,
NEW TRADING RELATIONSHIPS AND, OF
COURSE, THE CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC.
Universities have responded to these challenges projects. Internationally, we continue to build
over the past five years in the only way they on partnerships and projects around the world,
know how: by adapting, working together, promoting Wales as an open and welcoming
delivering skills to more people of all ages and destination for students and researchers alike.
backgrounds, and carrying out world-leading
research and innovation. Nothing better reflects the speed and resilience
with which our universities can respond to the
The universities’ Civic Mission Network is helping challenges we face than the response to the
develop and strengthen universities’ work for crises presented by Covid-19: from new online
communities across Wales. Every university learning, to the delivery of pastoral care for
is now an accredited Living Wage Foundation students; from PPE manufacturing, to researching
employer. Our universities are developing new treatments for the disease. All the while, many
and better ways of delivering skills to people students and staff across Wales volunteered to
across the country through schemes such as be on the frontline, both in healthcare and in our
degree apprenticeships. We are developing new communities.
ways to collaborate on research and innovation
OUR AMBITIONS FOR WALES
The future remains uncertain as the country Welsh universities are well-placed to support
emerges from the pandemic and enters a new the delivery of an ambitious vision for Wales
era with changing global trading relationships. that includes:
The climate change emergency is likely to
become a more urgent threat to our way of life. Building Wales’ regions
The workplace is changing. Digitalisation and
automation will bring new social and economic A future-ready workforce
tests and opportunities. Together, the scale of
these challenges is unparalleled. A sustainable, green Wales
By working with the next Senedd and Welsh
Government, universities can be at the centre Wales’ digital future
of a national recovery. Our universities can help
to build Wales’ future by delivering upon Wales’ globally competitive and
A
ambitions and promise. outward-looking nation
3
Advancing our cultureBUILDING
WALES’
FUTURE
HOW A FUTURE GOVERNMENT Skills and developing talent
CAN HELP US DELIVER Addressing Wales’ skills shortage and changing
workplace is critical if we are to ensure a future
Stable and sustainable funding
of prosperity and growth, where society is civically
through fees and grants
engaged, responsible and healthy.
For our universities to deliver on our ambitions
for Wales, stable and sustainable funding will be We are asking parties to commit to:
essential. As demand for different kinds of higher
education increases, including part-time learning, 5.
so too will the need for greater capacity for our
universities to deliver. Developing an ambitious Universities for
Skills programme which supports innovation,
1. collaboration, scaling up activity and further
develops systems of flexible learning
Providing stable and sustainable funding for
universities
6.
2. Expanding the degree apprenticeship offer to
cover a wider range of subjects and include
Supporting student mental health and well- master’s level
being by mainstreaming the funding that
universities and students’ unions received
during the Coronavirus pandemic International
In the highly volatile and new international
landscape following the pandemic, universities’
Research and innovation
international agendas will be an important
Research and innovation are key drivers of part of the recovery, key to realising a globally
productivity, generating jobs across Wales. Funding competitive and outward-looking nation.
such as quality-related research funding and
innovation funding play a crucial role in enabling We are asking parties to commit to:
Welsh universities to secure funding from outside
Wales, delivering further economic benefit.
7.
We are asking parties to commit to: Securing Wales’ global presence in a highly
volatile and new international landscape
3. by investing in university networks and
programmes
Establishing a Deputy Minister for Research
and Innovation, to work with universities and
capitalise on the immediate opportunities to 8.
drive economic growth
Being ambitious in delivering an international
strategy for Wales by setting a target to
4. increase university exports by 75% to £950
million by 2030
Implementing the Reid review, committing to
real-terms increases in quality-related research
funding, increases to innovation funding, and
incentivising institutions to win investment
from outside WalesBUILDING
WALES’
FUTURE
UNIVERSITIES ARE CHANGING...
5BUILDING
WALES’
FUTURE
Elections provide us with a structure to reflect excellent, but there is a need for greater scale to
on what has come before and how it has bring additional investment to Wales. We think that
shaped where we are. In Wales, we speak of working together will help to deliver this.
what happened in the first Assembly, or the
second Assembly, or the third. As we come to Universities have developed new ways of delivering
the end of another Senedd term, it brings into higher-level skills to people of all ages and
focus the challenges and uncertainty that have backgrounds. We have seen record-breaking
characterised the past five years. growth in part-time and postgraduate study. We
have also introduced degree apprenticeships in
Climate change, a changing workplace, Wales and are working with employers to identify
demographic change, global volatility, changes where there is demand for expansion of these
to our trading relationships, and looming large programmes into different industries.
over all of this, the Coronavirus pandemic. The
all too human temptation is to focus on these Universities are striving to deliver more for Wales.
challenges and difficulties but not the ways in Our universities generate £500 million in export
which we have risen to the challenge and tackled earnings and host students from 140 countries.
those difficulties head on. Our work with partners through the Global Wales
programme is now internationally recognised. Our
Universities in Wales have been around a long work with Vietnamese universities to support the
time but, like any long-standing institution, they Vietnam Government’s higher education reform
have not stood still. Throughout the tumultuous agenda has delivered significant changes to
twentieth century our universities adapted and university governance in Vietnam and consolidated
changed. They provided skills and education to our reputation as a key partner.
greater numbers of people from more diverse
backgrounds. They led the way on scientific Our partnerships with prestigious scholarship
breakthroughs that have both shaped our schemes such as Fulbright and Chevening, as
understanding of the world and how we live in it. well as the launch of our own Global Wales
Scholarships, attract talent to Wales. These
initiatives promote Wales as an open, welcoming
Our universities continue to change. and attractive destination for students and
In the past five years our universities have brought researchers alike.
a renewed vigour to the ways in which they benefit
Nothing better reflects the speed and resilience
people and places in Wales. We have seen greater
with which universities can respond to the
teaching and research links built with primary and
challenges we face than the way institutions
secondary schools. As a sector we have come
responded to the immense challenges posed by
together to form the Civic Mission Network which
the Coronavirus pandemic. When the pandemic
provides a vehicle to promote and share best
hit, universities switched to online delivery,
practice on universities’ civic mission work. We are
supported students in returning to their home
developing a Civic Mission Framework for Wales
addresses, and continued to teach and award
that provides a clear structure to support the
programmes.
development and furthering of universities’ work to
benefit the people and places of Wales. At the same time, universities stepped up to
support the national effort. From manufacturing
And we are in a unique position among the UK
PPE to researching the virus and how best to
nations with every university in Wales being an
treat and tackle it. From providing training and
accredited living wage employer.
courses to supporting local communities through
We are driving forward new ways to facilitate and volunteering. Many of our staff and students
promote collaboration in research and innovation. volunteered to be on the frontline.
We know that research and innovation in Wales isOUR AMBITIONS FOR WALES
The next Welsh Government will face some of We are uniquely placed to be able to further
the most complex challenges of recent history. support parties’ priorities on building Wales’
At the time of writing we do not know what regions. Universities have resources to deliver
our exit from the EU will mean for trade or our direct benefit through funding while also acting as
participation in EU programmes. The urgency conduits for other organisations and business –
with which we must tackle climate change will which might have smaller administrative capacity
only increase. – to access regional investment opportunities.
Our work generating graduate start-ups feeds into
At the same time Wales is undergoing regional economies and supports employment
significant demographic change. We have an objectives.
ageing population, and one that is overall older
and less well qualified than the UK as a whole. Beyond that, universities have also demonstrated
It is expected that the pandemic will accelerate an ability to leverage regional funding to secure
the workplace change that was already taking additional investment to Wales.
place globally. Even where estimates suggest
the number of jobs created will outnumber
those displaced, there is no guarantee those
A future-ready workforce
jobs will be created in Wales. The workplace is changing, and there are risks
and opportunities for Wales in this change. We
But there is much to be optimistic about,
are seeing an increasing demand for higher-
despite those issues we face. As well as the
level skills at the same time as automation
incredible work supporting the national effort
and technological change risk shrinking the
against Covid-19, universities continue to drive
occupation sectors upon which Wales depends.
innovation and create opportunities for people
This, combined with Wales’ demographics,
in Wales. Our graduates are some of the most
means we will need to support more people of
entrepreneurial, outperforming counterparts
all ages and backgrounds to upskill and retrain.
elsewhere in the UK.
In the next Senedd term universities will be able
Our universities attract students and academics
to support employment in key ways:
from around the world, bringing with them new
visitors to Wales’ wealth of natural riches and - through providing joined-up flexible learning,
historic landmarks. including part-time provision
Despite the uncertainty on the horizon, we are - by delivering research and innovation activity
building collaborative, dynamic and resilient that will generate new businesses, new
universities with a diverse population of jobs and new industries. This will include
students and staff, ready to withstand whatever knowledge transfer partnerships that help
changes are ahead. existing businesses to expand
- by supporting the generation of new
Building Wales’ regions businesses, including graduate start-ups
Welsh universities are critical economic anchors where Wales is already UK-leading
in all parts of Wales that support the foundational - through universities’ local economic activity,
economy. All universities in Wales are accredited including the contribution to the foundation
living wage employers and signed up to the Code economy and the spending of staff, students
of Practice on Ethical Employment in Supply and visitors
Chains. Wales continues to lead the UK with the
highest rate of graduate start-ups per capita.
7BUILDING
WALES’
FUTURE
A globally competitive and these technologies. There will be opportunities
to further join up the skills system, allowing
outward-looking nation cutting edge research and innovation to inform
Universities are responsible for around £500 delivery across the entire education system.
million of export earnings in Wales: around
4% of all Welsh exports. But the contribution
universities make is wider than direct economic
Wales’ digital future
benefit. Wales’ response to digitalisation, and ensuring
we make the most of the opportunities
Through alumni, staff and student mobility,
presented, will in large part depend on our
collaborative research, cultural and sporting
ability to further upskill our population, and the
activities our universities are contributing to
success with which we deliver research and
Wales’ soft power.
innovation in this area.
Partnerships built by our universities through
Universities are well-placed to deliver in
transnational education, research and
these areas. The implementation of degree
commercial activities have established a
apprenticeships in digital has seen substantial
significant footprint for Wales internationally,
and increasing demand from businesses across
building on the international recognition
Wales. Our universities host high profile hubs
of Wales as an innovative and forward-
and centres that cover cyber security, software
thinking nation. Similarly, by coming to Wales,
engineering and data science.
international students, staff and researchers
play an invaluable role in diversifying and Universities in Wales are building Wales’ digital
internationalising our communities. future. There is a need for funding and policy
support for this fast-developing sector.
A sustainable, green Wales
Welsh universities are genuinely at the forefront
Advancing our culture
of developing and implementing solutions to the Universities play an important role in the
challenges posed by climate change. cultural life of Wales. As well as teaching
and research in the arts and humanities, our
This includes research and innovation that
universities are often cultural and artistic hubs
directly addresses how we as a society
offering live performances, exhibitions, and
transition to a low carbon future, as well as
public lectures. Our universities undertake
the practical challenges around generating
research in and about Wales and its culture.
and storing energy. Many of these projects
are collaborative and examine complex and Beyond that, universities often provide a
interdependent issues. community space, a place for people to gather
and pursue shared activities.
As well as research and innovation on low
carbon and energy, universities are also As we emerge from the Coronavirus pandemic,
well-placed to deliver on sustainable use of the rooted presence of universities in
resources and land/seascapes. communities will provide opportunities to come
together and share experience.
Research and innovation is only part of the
picture. As we introduce new technologies – Our universities will also continue to be key to
such as those that will create and proliferate meeting ambitions around the Welsh language,
energy-neutral or energy-positive homes – we both by providing Welsh-medium education and
will also need to retrain and upskill those who also, in many cases, delivering or hosting Welsh
will be fitting, installing and making use of for Adults courses.Our students and staff Working with the next Welsh Students and staff are the heart of our Government universities, they were pivotal in the speed The national response to the Coronavirus with which our universities adapted to the pandemic has been characterised by challenges posed by the pandemic. They bring coproduction and collaboration between economic benefits to local areas. The research universities, governments and stakeholders. and innovation activity carried out by our staff This collaborative approach is one that we can and students generates new knowledge and build upon moving into the next Senedd term. new jobs; further, they are instrumental in As we have set out earlier in this document, we developing ways in which our people can be face clear challenges and obstacles going into equipped for new opportunities and realise the next Senedd term. But we believe there are economic and sustainable growth in Wales. real opportunities for government, the Senedd Welsh universities have led the UK on key areas and universities to work together to develop and of student experience and satisfaction, and over implement solutions to tackle those challenges. the next Senedd term, excellence in teaching Universities have set out a clear direction and learning, as well as the important pastoral of travel to this end in the recent Statement support that our institutions are known for, will of Intent1. As we move into the next Senedd continue to be a key priority. The use of new term, universities will continue to implement technologies prompted by the pandemic also a change programme that will improve present opportunities for Wales to be world- collaboration, delivering tangible benefits to the leading in delivering teaching and learning. This people and places of Wales. is already being capitalised on through Wales- wide collaborations on blended learning. 1 https://www.hefcw.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/W20-27HE-Higher-Education-Investment-and-Recovery-Fund.pdf 9
BUILDING
WALES’
FUTURE
HOW A FUTURE
GOVERNMENT CAN
HELP US DELIVER
1. 2.
STABLE AND SUSTAINABLE SKILLS AND DEVELOPING TALENT
Addressing Wales’ skills shortage is critical if we are to
FUNDING THROUGH FEES ensure a future of prosperity and growth, one where
AND GRANTS people are civically engaged, responsible and healthy.
For our universities to deliver on our ambitions
for Wales, stable and sustainable funding will be Universities have already committed to expanding
essential. As demand for different kinds of higher the breadth and reach of our skills offer including
education, including part-time learning, increases part-time and lifelong learning, but there are ways in
so too will the need for greater capacity for our which a future Welsh Government can support the
universities to deliver. sector to further deliver for Wales.
Our universities are a core part of Wales’ national Perhaps the most crucial part of doing so is ensuring
infrastructure. They play a crucial role in both the stable and sustainable funding for universities. In
employment and wider economies of the regions in addition to this:
which they are based. Proportionally, universities
We are asking parties to commit to developing
are more important to the Welsh economy than the
an ambitious Universities for Skills programme
other nations of the UK.
which supports innovation, collaboration,
Currently universities are funded through a scaling up activity and further develops
combination of fees and grants, and the Diamond systems of flexible learning
review recommendations, supported by universities
We are asking parties to commit to
and students, have been key in this regard.
expanding the degree apprenticeship offer
We would ask that parties commit to providing to cover a wider range of subjects and include
stable and sustainable funding for universities. master’s level.
We are asking parties to support
student mental health and well-being by
mainstreaming the funding that universities
and students’ unions received during the
Coronavirus pandemic.3.
RESEARCH AND INNOVATION
Research and innovation are key drivers of
productivity. Through the work our universities do in
this area new jobs are generated across Wales, and
the application of this research supports businesses 4.
to be more agile and competitive. INTERNATIONAL
In a highly volatile and new international landscape
The university landscape is shifting quickly. European
following the pandemic, we see universities’
Structural Funds, which have been particularly
international agendas, and indeed the Global
important in supporting research and innovation in
Wales programme, as being an important part of
Wales, will be coming to an end and there remains
the recovery, key to realising a globally competitive
uncertainty over replacement funding. At the same
and outward-looking nation.
time the amount of UK-wide competitive funding
available is increasing. We are asking parties to commit to secure
Wales’ global presence in a highly volatile
Welsh universities are working to transform the
and new international landscape by investing
ways in which we collaborate on research to ensure
in university networks and programmes
that we are as competitive as possible in securing
competitive funding. We are asking parties to commit to being
ambitious in delivering an international
In his review of Welsh Government funded research
strategy for Wales by setting a target to
and innovation, Professor Graeme Reid highlighted
increase university exports by 75% to £950
how funding streams such as quality-related research
million by 2030
funding and innovation funding play a crucial role in
the ability of Welsh universities to secure funding from
outside Wales, bringing economic benefit and jobs to
Wales.
We are asking parties to commit to
establishing a Deputy Minister for Research
and Innovation, to work with universities and
capitalise on the immediate opportunities to
drive economic growth.
We are asking parties to commit to
implementing the Reid review, committing to
real-terms increases in quality-related research
funding, increases in innovation funding, and
incentivising institutions to win investment from
outside Wales.
11BUILDING WALES’ FUTURE Universities Wales 2 Caspian Point Cardiff CF10 4DQ +44 (0)29 2044 8020 info@uniswales.ac.uk www.uniswales.ac.uk @Unis_Wales
You can also read
