Sector Context
The wider education sector has undergone significant changes over the past 18-24 months, with distinct ramifications for the secondary, further and higher education spaces. As a common theme, educational institutions are required to think and behave more competitively and develop innovative new offers and approaches to how they source funding, attract learners and deliver programmes. This has necessitated a shift in their workforce design strategy, with changes to internal talent requirements and attraction, recruitment and retention methods.
Our Report
We have recently explored these challenges and changes for the further education sector in two recent research papers. We are now looking to explore the ramifications for Higher Education institutions in a new research report.
Our key aims will be:
1. To summarise the key, common challenges impacting on Higher Education institutions
2. To identify and examine the impact of these challenges, and the subsequent changes to institutions’ internal
workforce development strategies
3. To share alternative approaches to workforce design and development, with a focus on how institutions in adjacent
sectors are adapting their internal talent development strategy to meet the needs of a changing sector
4. To share best practice, particularly from further education institutions (some of whom are involved in higher
education programmes) and other providers of post-16 education, which have recently faced similar challenges.

Current Research
Our research will be drawn from both primary and secondary sources, including a short online survey open to managerial- level staff and above across HE institutions, direct interviews, sector conferences and industry events, existing published research and our own anecdotal evidence drawn from our experience supporting internal talent development strategy across the education sector.
We are inviting leaders working within Higher Education institutions to share their professional experiences. We are particularly interested in gaining a further understanding of what is seen as the most pressing challenges, how these impact on workforce development (including attraction, recruitment and retention) and where continued gaps in knowledge and capability regarding recruitment strategy lie.
This will further inform and refine our research to date and allow us to directly correlate our report to key areas of interest. Participants will receive a copy of the completed report.

WANT TO FIND OUT MORE?

For further information, or to express your interest in participating, please contact:
Rebecca Villiers-Ginns: Managing Consultant, FE and HE M: 07377 382 141 E: r[email protected] Kara Small: Research Lead M: 07837 373 598 E: [email protected]