Coventry University Training Services Ltd (CUTS Ltd)
CUTS Ltd is being established as a wholly owned subsidiary of the University to offer direct training provision to businesses.
The background is that in 2006 the University began a pilot programme of employer-based training through its School of Lifelong Learning as part of a Government initiative funded by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE). Funding of £5m over two years has been secured and has enabled the University to develop its Employer Engagement Programme, now in its second year of operation. The work has a high national profile and is seen to be market-leading.
The Programme has developed an innovative approach to work-based learning and accreditation – one that actively seeks the input of employers in design and aims to meet organisational development needs as well as those of employees. Working with major national private and public sector organisations the Programme is designed for middle managers and combines accreditation against National Occupational Standards with credit for an HE award.
The Programme is particularly innovative in that it is delivered in the workplace without the need to take employees off the job. Customised, on-the-job learning is delivered by Learning and Development Consultants who are part of the Coventry University Employer Engagement Team. Employers take an active part in the Programme, ensuring that organizational learning is generated from the work of the “students”. This encourages middle managers to address real and critical issues in the workplace as an integral part of their learning.
Coventry University is currently delivering the Programme to 200+ middle managers in four large organisations with the expectations that the first students will complete the Programme in June 2008.
In order to enable the Programme to grow and reach its full potential, the University has decided to turn it into a wholly-owned subsidiary company of the University so that it can develop new business models more freely and flexibly, on an appropriate business-to-business basis.
This area of work is seen as having the potential to generate significant gross revenues, based on considerable volumes of learners/students in large companies, but the margins are fine. The company will have the opportunity to shape funding arrangements with the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE), the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) and client companies.