HEFCE: sustaining science and other key vulnerable subjects

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HEFCE sustaining science and other key
vulnerable subjects Professor David Eastwood,
Chief Executive HEFCE 21 October 2008
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Background

• 2004 Letter to HEFCE from Secretary of State
• courses that are of national strategic
  importance, where intervention might be
  appropriate to enable them to be available
• the types of intervention which could be
  considered
• core principle that higher education institutions
  are and must remain autonomous, independent
  bodies, making their own decisions

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Roberts key 2005 conclusions

• Dynamism of English HE a great strength -
  interventions should be kept to a minimum.
• Attention focused on subjects both strategically
  important and vulnerable.
• Governments role to designate subjects as
  strategically important and HEFCEs role to
  consider whether such subjects are vulnerable and
  necessary interventions.
• Vulnerability measured by mismatch of supply and
  demand, or a concentration in institutions which
  may be vulnerable. Departmental closures do not
  of themselves mean vulnerability.

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HEFCE action since 2005

• 350m programme (2005-06 to 2010-11) includes
• 15m to date for demand-raising and accessibility
  of HE in chemistry, physics, mathematics and
  engineering
• additional 100m (2007-08 to 2010-11) to sustain
  very high cost and vulnerable science provision
• 5,300 ASNs allocated in STEM subjects between
  2006 and 2008. And more since eg Coventry 380
  ASNs for FDs and STEM
• 96m (2008-09 to 2010-11) SIVS allocation for ELQ
  mitigation
• benefits of letting us know about changes in SIVS
  provision
• Land based Studies review

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Land based studies review

• Led by Professor Maggie Gill
• Distinctive nature of provision within three
  monotechnics
• Many of the of the issues faced by land-based
  provision are common to a wider spread of higher
  education provision and can be addressed by the
  same good management and strategic planning
  processes
• 4m for Harper Adams University College to set up
  the Rural Employer Engagement Development Network
  in collaboration with the RAC and the Landex
  group of specialist land-based colleges

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Research capacity building and collaboration
STEM subjects

• Developing regional research capacity with RDAs
• 4m for Great Western Research 4m for Midlands
  Physics 10m for Birmingham and Warwick Science
  City Alliance
• Developing national research capacity with the
  Research Councils
• 4m for integrative mammalian biology 6m to
  date for engineering and physical sciences
  11.2m for language based area studies

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Follett 2008 SIVS review

• Support for 2005 policy framework plus
• skills in the workplace
• integration of supply and demand measures
• recognise complexity and intervene selectively in
  specific places innovation and collaboration, a
  strongly evidenced case for vulnerability, and
  national as well as regional enhancement
• LBS should not be considered vulnerable
• Welcome progress of demand in STEM subjects

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After LBS review strategically important and
vulnerable subjects

• Science, technology, engineering and mathematics
• Area studies and related minority languages
• Modern foreign languages
• Quantitative social science

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On now to the data A level entries 2002-2008

• Mathematics entries rose 30 to 57,620 further
  maths up 88 to 8,440
• Chemistry up 12 to 36,360
• Physics down 11 (although stabilising)
• French down 7 to 12,590
• Other modern languages up 43 to 5,530

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HESA cost centre data 2003-04 to 2006-07

• Home student numbers (all disciplines) rose by 4
• Home STEM numbers decrease by 2
• Chemistry 21
• Mathematics 8
• Physics -1
• General engineering - 13
• Electrical, electronic computer engineering
  -19
• Languages 11 (includes credits and modules)

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Latest from UCAS

• UCAS acceptances for 2008-09
• (as of 15 Oct)
• mathematics has increased by 8.1 to 6,421
  compared with 2007-08
• chemistry is up 4.4 to 4,004
• physics is up 3.3 to 3,325
• and engineering averages 6.4 (ranging from 14.9
  for civil engineering to -11.3 for combinations
  within engineering)
• all subject areas growth is 6.3

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So what have we learnt (1)?

• Evidence Ltd evaluation of SIVS programme
  (available under publications at www.hefce.ac.uk)
• projects being delivered in professional and
  thorough way value added from working with
  partners and funders
• growth and importance of applied and cognate
  areas of science
• one programme to raise STEM demand, rather than
  several in competition clearer outcome measures
  and challenge needed

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We are not alone (1)

• International experience
• importance of STEM
• advantage of block grant - freedom and security
  to invest and disinvest
• OECD Education at a glance (2008)
• the number of UK science graduates has increased
  and there is a high proportion of science
  graduates among the young employed.

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We are not alone (2)

• Arrow and Capron, Quarterly Journal of Economics
  1959
• servant shortage of World War II
• Rather than admit that they could not pay the
  higher wages necessary to keep help, many
  individuals found it more felicitous to speak of
  a shortage. There is reason to think that at
  least some of the complaints of shortage in the
  scientist-engineer market have the same cause

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Wakeham and Physics

• Significant activity to date (Additional T
  funding and ASNs, Stimulating Physics, Midlands
  Physics Alliance)
• 12.5m investment in SEPNET out of 25m total
• Working with RCUK on the response to Wakeham
• Continuing to raise demand
• Developing TRAC to inform a review of price
  groups
• Exploring the user-led and interdisciplinary
  dimensions of the REF
• Refining our approach to strategic support
• But remember Roberts on intervention

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Future Approach (1)

• 2007 Sainsbury Review of Science and Innovation
• HEFCE should transform the SIVS Advisory Group
  into an Advisory Group on Graduate Supply and
  Demand.publishing an annual report describing
  undergraduate subject trends recent graduate
  jobs and salaries and the subjects where.there
  are, or are likely shortly to be, shortages of
  graduates with key skills.

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Future approach (2)

• Annual monitoring of trends and further review of
  vulnerability and policy framework in 2011
• Peter Saraga appointed chair the new group
• Diverse indicators of graduate demand SSCs and
  others
• Events reviews of tuition fees and price
  groups, RAE etc

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Graduate Opinion 2005-06 cohort
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Graduate Salaries 2005-06 cohort
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Todays event

• Help us develop our support for strategically
  important and vulnerable subjects over the next
  three years
• Three workshops
• HEFCE's policy towards strategically important
  and vulnerable subjects.
• Development of an integrated national HE STEM
  demand raising programme.
• Higher level skills in the workforce and
  strategically important and vulnerable subjects