The contribution of higher education
Even in 'normal' times, the higher education sector is a major economic force:- producing more than 30,000 graduates a year
- contributing more than £1 billion annually to the Welsh economy
- a major employer in Wales
- leading to 13% of new businesses started by graduates and staff across the UK - well above their 5% ‘weight’ in the UK economy
- attracting inward investment and generating export earnings
- attracting £131 million of research investment into Wales from wider UK public and private sources, and from the European Union
- increasing the numbers of students who study in Wales, all of whom generate local demand for goods and services. This includes more than 12,000 overseas students, who bring in more than £110 million in tuition fee income and living expenditure annually
- supporting job creation and the local economy by bringing forward as many new HE building and maintenance projects in Wales as possible worth over £100 million
- contacting local employers to explore directly how they can help
- being partners in GO Wales, which helps small and medium sized companies and other organisations gain access to higher level skills, and some have local schemes on top of this
- providing advisory services to businesses, and specialist training, such as continuing professional development or entrepreneurship for executives
Universities and colleges offer opportunities for people in Wales who might want to refresh their skills or re-train. They also offer training for those recently made redundant or who might otherwise be made redundant or put on short-time working. For example, some institutions:
- offer incentives to persons in work who seek part-time study or ‘work-based learning’ to gain higher-level skills
- offer support through the Welsh Government’s Re-Act and Pro-Act programmes
- One institution’s new web resource offers free educational and job resources, such as help with CVs, identifying skills gaps and free course content, and signposts how best to finance your studies
- offer a range of scholarships and bursaries to attract and retain students
- make hardship funds available for eligible students
- often offer modules or workshops in entrepreneurship or business training to improve the competitiveness of their graduates
- provide almost 4,000 students and graduates with training, development and placement opportunities through the GO Wales programme to prepare them for employment
Leading Wales out of recession - Welsh Government mini-site
Contacts at higher education institutions
Cardiff University, University of Glamorgan, Amgueddfa Cymru – National Museum
Wales, Techniquest and BBC Wales have become Wales’ only Beacon for Public Engagement, to lead Welsh universities in working more closely with the public.
The Beacon for Wales encourages universities to make wider contributions to society by engaging communities more fully in their work and is part of the biggest initiative of its kind ever launched in the UK.
The Beacon will open up opportunities for people outside academic communities to better understand, support and challenge research undertaken in universities with the public.
A total of six beacons have been set up, including others in Manchester, Newcastle, Norwich, London, and Edinburgh. There is also a UK-wide co-ordinating centre in Bristol, to work across the initiative to promote best practice and provide a single point of contact for the whole higher education sector.
