Call for businesses to work more closely with universities

Business must do more to work with universities and the government to help maintain the UK’s international competitiveness, a new CBI report out today has said.

The Task Force’s report, Stronger together – businesses and universities in turbulent times, proposes that more businesses should work with universities to:

• Sponsor students studying subjects relevant to business, such as science and technology.
• Provide financial support to new graduates, through bonuses when they sign on with the firm.
• Offer more opportunities for internships, placements, work experience or projects.
• View working with universities as part of core innovation activity.

Richard Lambert, CBI Director-General, said: "Business should engage more with universities, both financially and intellectually. More firms should help design and pay for courses for the benefit of the current and future workforce, and more firms should offer students practical work experience.

"In return for this extra investment of time and money, business will want to see more emphasis given to certain subjects, such as science, technology, engineering and maths.

"Languages are also seen to be important, and the Task Force argues that more should be done to prepare students for the world of work, and teach them the generic skills that will help smooth their pathway into employment.”

The report, which is the culmination of a year’s work by the CBI Higher Education Task Force, has also, controversially, called for the government’s target for 50% of 18-30 year-olds to participate in HE to be dropped for the time being; tuition fee loans to be provided at the government’s cost of borrowing; and for tuition fees to be increased.

Richard Lambert said: “Of course, it's never easy to ask students to pay more, but the UK's student support is on a par with some of the most generous in the world, and the priority must be to preserve quality as well as assisting those unable to pay to ensure that higher education remains open to all."

The National Union of Students has called the report "gross hypocrisy" from the "fat cats at the CBI”.