Page 24 - Regional Employment & Skills Plan 2018

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2.8 Higher Education
A globally competitive regional higher education sector is critical to the success of the region and to supporting the development of a highly skilled economy. This includes attracting students and researchers from outside of the region as well as supporting the local economy and businesses. With a total of 37,600 enrolments and 16,845 first year enrolments into regional higher education institutions and FE colleges (not including enrolments to the OU).
Evidence from employers suggest that they would prefer to have greater flexibility for higher education provision in particular greater part time provision and greater online and e-learning opportunities.
Access to Higher Education in Further Education
Higher Education is also delivered within the further education environment and both the University of Wales Trinity Saint David group and the College University Skills Partnership (CUSP) have worked to develop new areas of provision. This approach supports learners to progress to higher education within their existing FE environment and also to provide a greater geographic availability of higher education provision. The RLSP supports this delivery as it provides important progression pathways for learners within the region.
Degree Apprenticeships
The RLSP is fully supportive of the development of degree apprenticeships to date within the pilot areas of engineering and ICT, however there are opportunities to significantly expand the potential application of degree apprenticeships to other sectors, as well as to expand the pilot provision to cover a wider range of roles and greater specialisation.
The additional sectors that have been identified as potential areas include professional services within construction such as architecture and project management, opportunities within the professional sector including legal and financial services roles where practical in work experience is valued.
There is also the potential to develop a shared degree apprenticeship model across regional employers where applicable following the successful shared apprenticeship models that have been developed to date. In particular there are opportunities to respond to the requirements of the Swansea Bay City Deal and the transformational changes that may occur as a result.
2.9 Occupational Trends
Many employers identified a lack of suitable provision (18%) or suitable frameworks (19%) as being a barrier to training or a reason for not recruiting apprentices. This highlights the need for National Occupational Standards to be as reflective as possible of the diverse labour market and to support suitable activity.
Digital and automation
Research from external agencies such as MGI and PWC and the Centre for Cities suggest that the majority of roles will be impacted and by automation and digital, for example that 23.2% of jobs in Swansea12 have been identified as ‘likely’ to shrink due to technological change.
The roles most likely to be impacted by automation and likely to decrease as a result include those roles within predictable physical roles, unpredictable and dangerous physical roles and office support roles and also some roles within customer services13.
12 http://www.centreforcities.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/18-01-12-Final-Full-Cities-Outlook-2018.pdf
13 https://www.mckinsey.com/mgi/overview/2017-in-review/automation-and-the-future-of-work/jobs-lost-jobs-gained-work force-transitions-in-a-time-of-automation
Regional Employment & Skills Plan South West & Mid Wales Policy Context