EDUCATION-JAN10-PG06-11:Page 6 06/01/2010 09:37 Page 11
News
SCA Hygiene educates the
Third of professors would
quit UK over research row,
workforce of tomorrow
warns poll
N
orthumberland-based manufacturer, SCA Hygiene has announced a
groundbreaking partnership with Prudhoe Community High School, to
T
he United Kingdom risks a brain drain of top professors if it
pushes ahead with controversial changes to how university
provide students with a practical insight into industry as part of a new
research is funded, warns a survey released today (Thursday) by the
engineering qualification aimed at year 10 and 11 students.
University and College Union (UCU). Over a third (35%) of
Staff at SCA’s Paper Mill in Prudhoe - home of the popular ‘Velvet’ brand
professors polled said they would consider pursuing their academic
of toilet tissue - will be working closely with Prudhoe High School’s head of
career abroad if the plans were introduced.
engineering, Geoff Wallman, to deliver a unit of the new Higher Diploma in
The poll further warned that more than one in five (22%)
Engineering at the Mill.
professors already knew a colleague who was also considering
The Diploma, a two-year study option available for 14-year-olds, was
leaving the country over the issue. The survey gives a stark insight
launched by the Government in 2008. It is the equivalent to 7 GCSEs at grades
into the likely impact the new proposals would have on jobs. Half
A* to C and is a direct response to appeals from employers, who have called
(49%) the professors polled said they thought the changes would
for changes to be made within the education system, to enable young people
influence their department’s hiring and firing plans.
to develop a practical skill-set in preparation for joining the world of work.
Over two-thirds (69%) said they opposed the changes, which will
Staff at SCA specialising in a variety of manufacturing operations will be
limit government funding for curiosity-driven research. The
passing on their wealth of experience to 19 students in the first year at a
controversial proposals, announced by Higher Education Funding
special training facility within the Mill.
Council for England (HEFCE), would force 25% of future research to
Ian Callender, operations trainer at SCA, said: “We are committed to
be assessed on ‘economic impacts’. The plans have been condemned
growing and developing our own workforce locally so we’re delighted to be
by the academic community as an attack on curiosity-driven research.
working in partnership with Geoff and the engineering department at
UCU said if researchers had been operating under the new guidelines
Prudhoe High.
many crucial discoveries would have been missed.
“We hope that by giving students a better understanding of engineering
processes in a real business environment, we can capture some of the
The poll of professors found:
brightest young minds in the area and help to secure their interest in
Over two-thirds (69%) did not support the impact proposals
manufacturing when it comes to them choosing a career path in the future. It
Over a third (35%) would consider pursuing their academic career
is my understanding that we are the first major employer in the area to be
abroad if the changes were introduced
offering anything like this for school children which is something we’re
One in five (22%) said they knew colleagues planning to leave the
extremely proud of.”
country if the changes were introduced
Prudhoe Community High School is the lead school for Engineering within
Half (49%) said the proposals would influence the hiring and firing
‘Tynedale Virtual College’, a link-up which aims to provide a wide range of
of staff in their department
vocational opportunities in High Schools throughout West Northumberland.
Almost three-quarters (72%) said the changes, if introduced,
Other schools involved include Queen Elizabeth in Hexham, Ponteland
would lead to changes in policies and practices in their department
Community High and Haydon Bridge High.
Almost two-thirds (65%) said they thought the proposals would
Geoff Wallman, head of engineering at Prudhoe Community High School,
alter the focus and practice of research in their department.
said: “As part of Tynedale Virtual College, we have taken on students from
three other schools in the local area who have expressed an interest in
UCU general secretary, Sally Hunt, said: “We should be working
engineering.
hard to attract the finest minds to Britain, not implementing new
This experience will see the students embedded within SCA, contributing to
rules that will drive them away. History has taught us that some of
the working day and getting involved in numerous processes within the Mill.
the biggest breakthroughs have come from speculative research and
“By working in this way as opposed to a standard work experience
it is wrong to try and measure projects purely on their economic
placement, the students are learning genuine technical and practical aspects
potential. We believe the new system would strangle talent and
of manufacturing and production techniques in a real-time situation thanks
destroy initiative.
to the coaching they are receiving from SCA on top of their theoretical
“Half the professors polled think that their department’s hiring
learning in the classroom.”
and firing plans will be influenced by the changes. With the higher
As part of the collaboration, two groups of students will alternate visiting
education sector now facing the biggest cuts seen in a generation,
the site each week over a twelve week period. The Diploma is made up of 50
the last thing we need is to lose the brightest and the best through a
percent applied learning (practical) and 50 percent theoretical and has a
failure to support their work.”
combined total of eight units.
In December the union handed in a submission to HEFCE
The site is continuing to build its reputation as a leader in the field when it
outlining its concerns over the proposals. It also handed in a petition
comes to personal development and learning opportunities, with over 30
with almost 18,000 signatures that came from the full range of
apprentices currently on its books.
academic disciplines and included six Nobel Prize winners and over
3,000 professors.
uwww.scatissueeurope.com uwww.sca-tork.com
UCU produced a report that looks in greater detail at how some
of our most crucial breakthroughs would not have been discovered
without curiosity-driven research. To view that report visit
https://www.ucu.org.uk/media/pdf/0/s/ucu_notsurvivingtheREF.pdf
Signatories to the UCU petition included Sir Tim Hunt (Nobel Prize
winner); Sir John Walker (Nobel Prize winner); Sir Harold Kroto
(Nobel Prize winner); Sir Richard Roberts (Nobel Prize winner);
Professor Brian Josephson (Nobel Prize winner); Professor
Venkatraman Ramakrishnan (Nobel Prize winner); Professor Richard
Dawkins; Professor Denis Noble; Professor Steven Rose; Professor
Steve Jones; Professor Don Braben Professor John Dainton; (all
scientists); Professor Fritz Ursell; Sir John Ball (both Mathematics); Sir
Tony Wrigley; Dame Janet Nelson (both History); Professor Jonathan
Glover; Professor James Ladyman (Philosophy); Professor T J Clark
(Art History); Professor Allyson Pollock (Public Policy); Professor
Richard Sennett (Sociology).
January 2010
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