It is described as
...the most comprehensive study ever undertaken of England's cities and towns. It focuses on 56 major towns and cities in England and covers five main themes: demographics, social cohesion, economic competitiveness & performance, liveability, governance & the impact of policy.
Not surprisingly, the south and east is wealthy compared to the west and north, but one of the main conclusions is the difference a university makes to a city. These 56 cities contain 63 per cent of the UK's total jobs, and the report shows how these urban jobs are becoming more and more skilled.
One the one hand, this is partly because manufacturing is withering away. Much of this growth, however, is knowledge-driven, and those cities with universities have, with a couple of exceptions, outperformed those without. This is not just because of the skills and labour force that they can supply, of course. A large university is an extremely significant local employer, especially of graduates. Manchester University employs over 8,000 staff, and is the second largest employer in the city (the NHS, thanks for asking), to take an example.
Equally, there is a strong and significant link between the economic success of a city, and the number and proportion of degree holders working there.
This research backs up findings from many previous reports, most recently the Leitch Review, and it is clear that the Government regards universities as key components in their regional strategy. But how much support are they getting centrally, and, in particular, are the RDA's really properly aware of HE's central place in their own regions? There remains a strong suspicion that universities are taken for granted, and seen solely as a place where people are trained to work in London. Other concerns are raised by the unsurprising finding that the south east attracts the most foreign investment, whilst the North, with plenty of appropriately skilled labour, goes begging.
As the Leitch Review reported, the UK is the most centralised country, with the exception of Belgium, in Europe. This reinforces the image of London as the place for graduates, and graduate employers, to go. This has to stop, and this needs to be tackled at a central and a regional level. It is all very well saying 'What's good for London is good for the rest of the country', but it drains the skills from regions that need those skills more than an already overcrowded city does. In particular, central government needs to stop all the foot-dragging and making of excuses, and move more high level functions out of the capital.
Technorati tags: UK regional economy,UK education policy,higher education,universities
No comments:
Post a Comment