Universities need to foster a culture of lifelong learning and skills development

Many universities have made dramatic improvements to the skills element of academic programmes in recent years. So it comes as a disappointment that once again it is reported that graduate employers are expressing surprise and concern about the (lack of) employability skills of graduates emerging from British universities.  

We need to engineer our way to economic recovery

James Dyson suggested that we were on the cusp of a new industrial revolution - and that we need to find ways to create many thousands more engineers. There is absolutely no doubt that that the UK needs to create more engineering graduates, but we must be careful not to overemphasise any subject or discipline, if growth in one area is at the  expense of other critical subjects. 

Risk aversion is stifling biomedical innovation in the UK

Biomedical entrepreneurs succeed in this country, not because of, but in spite of the environment. We need a wholesale change in attitude from the organisations involved in taking a biomedical invention through to a treatment for patients. This includes not simply regulators, but also financiers, the NHS, government and universities.