…academic? I enjoyed science subjects the most at school and this led me to undertake further study in physics. I became an academic because I really enjoyed undertaking the research for my PhD project and so I decided that I wanted to continue in research for my career. Also, as a postdoc I had the opportunity to lecture to MSc students and, as it seemed enjoyable, I decided to give academia a try. Did you have any role models/anyone that inspired…
…experience of curating FIELD to learn as much as possible about what businesses want the project to provide; in terms of workspace, equipment and community. FIELD has three key criteria. The companies they host must have the following: 1. A vision to create a sustainable business that designs and/or makes physical products 2. A vision to grow that business (not necessarily to take over the world, but to create multiple valuable jobs) 3. A commitm…
…d-class” universities. While I take issue with the term for its derogative undertones, the strength of our higher-education system is in its diversity. The 12 professional, technical institutions within University Alliance deliver the skills, applied research and industry-responsive provision needed to increase productivity and level up across the country. By translating research into practical application and commercialising findings, these bring…
…viewed about their experiences. The new study builds upon earlier research undertaken by the University and funded by Plan International UK, focussing on best practice within the menstruation education, health, policy and advocacy sectors, which resulted in the creation of ‘Let’s Talk Period’ menstruation learning briefs. Gemma Williams, Research Fellow at Birmingham City University, said: “Covid-19 continues to highlight gender inequalities withi…
…rontiers of knowledge. When I engaged in volunteering as an NHS Volunteer Responder, I found to my delight that beyond expanding the progress of knowledge in my specialist field, I could also support the lives and livelihoods of those in my local community. In fact, the latter can be deeply satisfying and could potentially be the grit to get your PhD over the line. Can spending five minutes of your time for someone in your community really be suff…
…is truly a collaborative project across a wide range of organisations and companies. We are very grateful to our hosts at UWE Bristol for their continuing support and commitment to partnership working. It is thanks to them, as well as our other partners, that we are where we are today – ready to care for patients with compassion, if and when we are needed.” A degree of flexibility was built into the planning so that as the clinical picture and pa…
…ly skilled trainees. The apprentices carry out the same work as solicitors under supervision, such as drafting claim forms and witness statements, whilst completing their degree at the same time. The value of degree apprenticeships is evident, but schools need to be empowered to promote the benefits to pupils and parents. This includes better information and guidance on careers at an earlier age and a simpler application system for degree apprenti…
…hat requires action. This includes providing support to the course team to understand and address the reasons for the gap. Developing such a system is undoubtedly a big piece of work, but if it is important enough to an institution it can be done – it’s a matter of making it a priority and investing resources where they are needed. Indeed, we have been working with several universities on sharing this value added approach and would like to see thi…
…tougher regime to give true equality of opportunity for disadvantaged and underrepresented groups in England. “There is hard work ahead next year to get the new system 100% right – particularly for institutions like University Alliance members targeting first generation intakes through their technical and professional courses. “The collapse in part-time and mature student populations is a massive challenge for us all. The beefed-up system will be…
…have experience of college higher education, or of vocational programmes, undergraduate courses with placements, work-based learning or cutting-edge simulations of the workplace. This won’t be true in every case, but I challenge you to look around and see whether among your colleagues there is a material diversity of educational experience. In itself, an ‘academic’ education is not a bad thing. The challenge for anyone thinking about higher educa…
