On 31 January 2008, the Royal Society published A higher degree of concern, the second and final phase of a project examining STEM higher education in the UK. It makes recommendations regarding how UK STEM higher education can remain fit for purpose into the middle of the next decade and beyond.
To enable organisations to submit evidence to the Royal Society's study, the Research and Development Society conducted a web-based survey of our members and contacts of the current and future needs of employers in science-based industries. The survey report, Higher Education in 2015 and beyond: will it meet our needs? is available for download for free from the R&D Society website.
One of the key findings of our survey was that respondents had no clear way of communicating their needs course curriculum organisers, but wanted to be able to. The Royal Society report (page 3) notes "emphasis needs to be placed on a collaborative approach to learning provision that ensures that businesses and other employers are engaged in curriculum development, course design and delivery."
The full report. A higher degree of concern, and a short executive summary, are available to download from the Royal Society website.
