Improving collaboration with universities and colleges

Constructing Excellence

The members forum on June 8th was attended by 25 members and 15 guests from universities and colleges. Our agenda was to improve collaboration and the value that industry and academia get from closer links, and the considerable energy and discussion in the room all afternoon was testament to the interest. Special thanks to Professor David Dernie, Dean of the Architecture and Built Environment Faculty at our hosts, the University of Westminster, for his support and speech, to Tim Embley, Costain’s Innovation Director, for impressive content in his presentation and facilitation of the event, and to Tim’s colleague Harrison O’Hara who managed the smart phone e-voting. A report of this aspect is attached here.

The outcome of the event is a proposed work programme as follows:

  • A joint vision statement
  • Case studies of successful HE/FE-industry impact
  • A joint guide/’top 10 ideas’ for HE/FE and industry to work better with each other
  • New ways to give students tasters of business life
  • New teaching models with industry
  • Ways to influence HEFE teaching generally
  • Jointly influencing professional institutions to improve the teaching curriculum
  • An annual CE ‘wishlist’ of dissertation topics to be compiled with members steering group and theme groups

Constructing Excellence

This will be taken forward by a new short-life CE theme group to meet in July and then in October, for which we received 5 volunteers each from industry and academia plus two key professional institutions RICS and CIOB. Please get in touch with Deborah if you would like to be added to this group.