Introduction for Higher Education

Why should HE be interested in working with employers?

The Leitch Report (2006) highlighted that developing the skills of the existing workforce was hugely important given that more that more than 70% of the 2020 workforce was already in the workforce today.  The 'Ambition 2020' Report - the UK Commission for Employment and Skills' first annual assessment of the progress towards making the UK a world leader in employment and skills by 2020 – suggests we still have some way to go to achieve this.  This is one reason for the recent emphasis on supporting HE involvement with employers to support workforce development.

In many ways this represents an extension of existing practice, on KPT, Foundation degrees, CPD and further professional training.  The resources presented here however represent a ‘drilling down’ in respect of one aspect of this agenda, specifically the use of e-portfolio systems now in use in the majority of UKHEIs to support this agenda.  Designed and implemented in response to an approach from the HEFCE, it seeks to provide an answer to the question: “Can e-portfolios support the employer engagement agenda, and if so how?”

Click here for examples of how this might work

Click here for Employer Engagement case studies from outside the project

Click here for other evidence from outside the project