Enhancing employer engagement, meeting global challenges held at the Royal Society, London

The demand for higher education to be responsive to business and to develop not only more employable but also more enterprising graduates is a priority for both the Government and funding councils. Underlying this policy push is an assumption that universities and colleges just need to respond to business demand but the Council for Industry and Higher Education (CIHE) questions this demand/supply approach. This conference considered how universities, colleges and businesses can work together in mutually beneficial partnerships. Senior university and college leaders, business and enterprise organisations and policy makers had the opportunity to address head-on current assumptions, give participants the opportunity to hear at first hand about recent research, discuss the implications for their institutions and give their perspectives on how future policy and practice should evolve.