Strategic education dialogues in East Asia Strategic dialogue1: International Education & Employability:

Developing Workforces for the 21st century 7th February 2007, Hanoi

by

Professor Michael Brown, DLVice-Chancellor and Chief Executive

Liverpool John Moores University

Three main points:-

• The need for partnership working– local, national, international– to achieve outcomes that neither partner could

achieve alone

• New leadership & management approaches• Taking a unique position

The work, the ethos and the leadership approach of a university will inevitably reflect the current needs of society – Government, business and the individual.

Fundamental questions

• What is a university for?

• What are the key Government responsibilities?

What was a UK university for?

In the UK, traditionally:• Repository of information and scholarly considerations• Undergraduate development primarily through the acquisition

of knowledge – for a small elite group• Training of the mind and intellectual skills• Questioning orthodoxy and seeking new academic

knowledge and understanding• Established in a society that was changing slowly and where

the external environment was usually predictable

What is a UK university for now?• Now, in the UK, there are additional Government

and society expectations:• Producing an increasingly-skilled and effective workforce

for economic success• Creating new economic activity from university know-how

and research (including incubators, science parks etc.)• Providing opportunities for social mobility and productive

engagement from all parts of society• Advising and supporting local small and medium-sized

companies• Etc.

Characteristics of UK universities

• Autonomous and independent corporations• Majority of Board of Governors external to university

– no Government representatives• For many UK universities, the majority of their

funding comes from sources other than the Government

• Students can choose which university to go to, and pay substantial tuition fees via Government loans – a regulated market

• Many external bodies see themselves as important stakeholders besides Government.

So what are the key UK Government responsibilities?

• Supporting and reinforcing academic autonomy and academic freedom

• Requiring that a firm and transparent framework is in place to ensure academic standards and academic quality are guaranteed and are world class throughout

• Providing adequate funding for the teaching and research which it wishes to have delivered in universities.

• Encouraging universities to respond creatively to opportunities as autonomous and independent entities – BUT within a regulatory and quality framework and with full accountability for the use of public money.

So, UK universities do….

Undergraduate teaching; postgraduate teaching; qualifications from Certificates to Doctorates; pure research; applied research; contract research; consultancy; Knowledge Transfer Partnerships; bespoke teaching; spin-out companies; student enterprise; incubators; science parks; integrated company training partnerships; HE within FE colleges; accreditation services (home and abroad); franchise programmes; SME support programmes; IPR capture & licensing; operating national facilities for academic community (e.g. major telescopes); etc. etc. etc. etc. etc. etc.

• and to undertake much of this work requires many good partners and different funders

• and to be successful, good partnerships need managing effectively

• This requires a move from the leadership methods required in the past to a more systematic but empowered approach

• so we have been on a five year journey (so far) of leadership and culture change

Recognising the need for decisive change (1)

• Determined the broad Purpose of the University and its Behavioural Values by wide consultation

• Re-structured for empowerment• Leadership and management training – culture change• Removed all “decision-making” committees – responsibility and

accountability• Leadership and management training – culture change• Adopted the EFQM Excellence Model as a management

framework – joined up management

Recognising the need for decisive change (2)

• Leadership and management training – culture change • Produce a first “real” strategic plan• Leadership and management training – culture change• Link all requirements from Excellence Model, all requirements

from strategic plan and behavioural values to individual objectives for senior staff

• Regular staff performance appraisal – supportive, not combative : behavioural values

• Leadership and management training – culture change• Redesign the Strategic Plan to take into account University

progress and significantly changed external environment

Recognising the need for decisive change (3)

• Manage the delivery of the Strategic Plan – Balanced Scorecard

• Leadership and management training – reinforce culture change

• Provide strategic plan “dashboard”• Leadership and management training – reinforce culture

change

So what is the point of the new Strategic Plan and how does it fit with the subject of this Symposium anyway?

Remember that we operate in a competitive, partially-regulated market

Most universities seek to be “the best” But what does that mean?

A competitive strategic approach leads you to find a UNIQUE positionwhich is credible and deliverable and which will be attractive to

a desirable market segment

We searched for the unique position that was right for our university –doing something innovative

Not just a “good idea”, but one based on :-

• Extensive research and consultation

• Looking at the market competition

Main Theme

• To deliver to our students high-quality academic programmes connected to the world of work and business PLUS a range of measured and certified experiences and personal skills that will best equip them for successful careers

• “More than a degree”

Supporting Strategies

• Being strategically-managed and delivering to plan

• Increasing the University’s funded activities away from public teaching funding, by building on existing international level research capacity; being commercially engaged with the private sector; and increasing international activity

The detailed offer• Every programme will include work-related learning • Courses will be kite marked by relevant professions and

companies • Academic staff will be professionally engaged in relevant

external engagements • All students will have measured graduate skills assessed

against national benchmark• In addition, students will be expected to achieve Advanced

WoW skills – with the skills decided and the assessment externally accredited by major commercial and industrial leaders

• Relevant additional activities and experiences will be captured and certified.

• Plays to our perceived and credible strengths, to produce the overall result:

• ”graduates prized above others”• It is literally unique – we can find no other

university in the world doing exactly this.• It meets the stated needs of high-quality

employers and engages them in the process• IT IS DEVELOPING THE WORK FORCE

FOR THE 21ST CENTURY – educated AND trained people

Internally this initiative is now referred to as

LJMU PLUS

And has been approved, with enthusiasm, by the Board of Governors, the Academic Board and the Students’ Union and is being

implemented

To deliver this approach, startingwith students joining us in 2007, we have in six months:-• Discussed and debated the proposals across the

University• Adjusted ALL 480 undergraduate programmes to include

work-related learning • Agreed a template for graduate skills to be delivered and

assessed in every degree programme• Established a Graduate Development and Assessment

Centre – to deliver the WoW skills• Recruited a powerful and influential Advisory Group

The Advisory Group

• AIRBUS: Philip Swash CEO• BRITISH CHAMBERS OF COMMERCE:

David Frost DG• BNFL: Michael Parker, CEO• CBI: Richard Lambert, DG• FORD EUROPE: John Flemming, President• FORD INTERNATIONAL: Richard Parry-Jones, CTO• IOD: Miles Templeman, DG

The Advisory Group (continued)

• MARKS&SPENCER: Keith Cameron, HR Director• NHS: Mike Farrar, National Director• ORACLE: Ian Smith, VP Europe• PILKINGTONS plc: Stuart Chambers, CEO • RICS: Steve Williams, Past-President• SHELL INTERNATIONAL: Adam Lomas – VP• UNITED UTILITIES plc: Philip Green, CEO

Summary• You have had a glimpse of our award-winning

approach to university leadership and management

• You have very briefly seen how we have decided to target and deliver a unique approach to higher education

• And you have seen how we want to make a contribution to delivering a winning workforce for the future

And finally,

We are always looking for innovative partnerships to do really interesting and challenging things………