Foundation degrees for industry

A new programme of foundation degrees is being developed for the science-based industries to help address the industries' constantly changing employee skill requirements.  Funded to the tune of £2.9 m by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE), Working higher is a collaborative project between the Higher Education Academy (HEA) Physical Sciences Centre, Cogent Sector Skills Council and the University of Hull, and will be delivered by a consortium of universities. Professor Tina Overton, director of the HEA Physical Sciences Centre told Education in Chemistry, 'This is a ground-breaking collaboration between Hull, Cogent Sector Skills Council representing employers, and HEA UK Physical Sciences representing the academic community. The project aims to address the higher-level skills shortage in the nuclear, chemical, petrochemical, bioscience and polymer industries through the provision of a suite of foundation degrees'.