Innovation and skills – the universities, the council and business need to be better at working together.
Innovation and skills – There needs to be better working between the universities, the local government and the private sector.
To raise the city’s profile, several things need to happen. The plan must offer chances for high-quality offices and shops in the central area to expand and for the city to carry on holding important international events in modern, high-quality venues. It must also allow for culture to develop, including the idea of using the city itself as a gallery; for the city’s academic and research profile to be raised; and for businesses and specialist activites to be set up and developed. It must also do something that is not so easy to plan for, which is aim to create or increase the things that make the city interesting, exciting and varied. So the central area will spread out, and there will be an area around it that will have a mixture of city centre and more local activities, shown on Figure 5.2. The questions later on in this report ask you what you think we can do in the city centre to let us achieve these goals:
To raise the city’s status, a number of factors need to come together. plan will need to provide opportunities for central area uses such as prime offices and shops to expand and for the city to continue to stage high level international events in modern, quality facilities. It will need to create the right conditions for the further development of the cultural assets of the city including developing the concept of the city itself as a gallery; the raising of the city’s academic and research profile; and for starting and growing central area businesses and niche, specialist activities. Less easily planned for, it must aim to create or foster the conditions that add human interest, excitement and diversity to the city. The central area will therefore expand further out of the core, and there will be a transition zone outside this area which will contain a mixture of city centre and more local activities, shown on Figure 5. 2. questions in the later sections of this report ask what can be done in the city centre to enable to realise the following ambitions as a global city:
Birmingham still has fewer jobs that other cities in some high-pay areas like finance and some business types like research.
The people old enough to work in Birmingham have, fewer skills than people in some other cities — and are less skilled than average workers in the UK — we see that as a reason that Birmingham may not be as successful.
Universities and other education could help this.
On the other hand, Birmingham remains under-represented in the higher value added sectors that generate greater wealth and pay higher wages. Its employment in the Financial and Business sector is still lower than the UK Core Cities’ average. It has fewer jobs in R&D and knowledge-intensive business services. The working age population in the city has lower skills than the national average and this is seen as inhibiting its growth potential. Universities and education generally are seen as one of the key tools for raising the city’s performance.
We have three well-regarded major universities in the city plus others in the region so Birmingham should be in a good position to provide the skilled graduates business needs. Yet, as the West Midlands Skills Partnership notes, “The region is poor at retaining graduates – more than half take a job outside the West Midlands. Many of the graduates we do hold on to are employed in low level jobs that do not fully exploit their potential”.
Universities are key tools for future success and with three well-regarded major universities in the city plus others in the region, Birmingham should be well placed to deliver the graduate skills base the city needs. Yet as the West Midlands Skills Partnership notes, “The region is poor at retaining graduates - more than half take a job outside the West Midlands. Many of the graduates we do hold on to are employed in low level jobs that do not fully exploit their potential”.
We need to improve education and skills for people with all levels of academic achievement. This includes schools, workplace training and lifelong learning.
We can plan to use the city centre as a focus for this learning. This may be through some physical form such as a new school or college or through a change in culture and outlook that the city centre plan is working to bring about. A skills strategy for Birmingham will only work where employers and workers buy into it for the long term. This means we need a culture of learning across the board, but especially one that most helps the least educated, those trapped in cycles of low achievement and aspiration.
But education and skills need to be developed across the range of occupations and skills levels, not just for the higher level qualifications. This includes schools as well as facilities for workplace training and lifelong learning. A spatial plan for the city centre can help this process by providing a focus for this activity. This may be through some physical form such as a new educational facility or through the change in culture and outlook that the city centre plan is working to bring about. A skills strategy for Birmingham will only work where employers and workers buy into it on a long term and continual basis. A culture of learning is something that is required across the range of skills but impacts disproportionately on those at the bottom end of the skills market who are disengaged from education at an early age and are trapped in inter-generational cycles of low attainment and low aspiration.
Birmingham’s city centre is has a strong and developing reputation for research in higher education, particularly in medical, bioscience and biomedical engineering. This is supported by the universities – Aston University, the University of Birmingham, Birmingham City University and University College Birmingham (formerly Birmingham College of Food, Tourism and Creative Studies) and Newman University College. There are also Matthew Boulton College and South Birmingham College.
All of these have an important role to play in improving skills and nurturing spin-off and start-up industries. Things need to get better though as higher education qualifications within the city centre are still well below government targets.
Birmingham’s city centre is a strong and developing higher education and research base, particularly in medical, bioscience and biomedical engineering. This is supported by the universities – Aston University, the University of Birmingham, Birmingham City University, University College Birmingham (formerly Birmingham College of Food, Tourism and Creative Studies) and Newman University College. There are also significant colleges which include Matthew Boulton College, and South Birmingham College. These establishments have an important role to play in improving skills levels and nurturing spin-off and start-up industries. Whilst the city centre is therefore benefiting from an increasingly skilled supply of labour with improvements in educational attainment, there are still improvements to be made. Indeed, higher education qualifications within the city centre are still well below government targets.
Birmingham can also make bus travel in the city centre better, make more people want to use it, improve what people think of it and set a new standard for town travel. One idea is to look for good partnerships. Another is to encourage better vehicles and physical facilities, computer systems and customer facilities to develop one of the best public transport systems in Europe (the ‘Birmingham Bus’ idea). To do this, we could work with vehicle makers, universities, product designers and others, especially those based in the region.
In addition to the options identified above, Birmingham can take the opportunity represented by the Big City Plan to launch an initiative to transform the quality, attractiveness and dignity of bus travel in the city and set a new benchmark for urban transit. One approach is the pursuit of quality partnerships. Another is to encourage further improvements in hardware and software and customer facilities to develop a truly leading European public transport brand (the ‘Birmingham Bus’ concept). This could be pursued with participation from vehicle manufacturers, educational establishments, product designers and others, especially those based in the region.
How can we make the most of the fact that the universities are nearby to help skills and business?
What can be done to capitalise on the closeness of the Universities as a driver for skills raising and business?
We think that Birmingham must understand how important its universities and colleges are and help graduates to stay in Birmingham and use their skills in business. We should encourage technology businesses by having new types of workspace, flexible learning and living space and support (such as advice and grants).
Birmingham must value its strong academic base and turn it into city-based enterprise if it is going to compete better on the world stage. Technological enterprise should be encouraged by new forms of workspace, flexible learning and living space and business support.