Leeds City Region: Investing in the future workforce

NOWHERE is long-term vision more apparent than in partnerships with the education sector to help develop the workforce of the future.

It can be more than corporate social responsibility though, as it can bring direct benefits to the business with the foresight to invest in the development of students and graduates in the region.

“In Leeds City Region we have nine universities and they are all good universities,” said Eric Hawthorn, Radio Design’s managing director. “They are international businesses too and that means they are bringing students from all over the world – so how do we as a region benefit from all the talent and skills we have in the region?”
Radio Design has taken a lead in its sector and, in partnership with the Royal Academy of Engineering and University of Leeds, established a Research Chair focussed on original research in the field of microwave signal processing.
He said: “Businesses have a responsibility as well in terms of engaging directly with universities rather than sit back and say that someone else needs to sort it for me.
“We are no longer an SME – we have outgrown that label, although that’s all it is: just a stupid label – but while we were still an SME we engaged directly with Leeds University and sponsored a Royal Academy Research Chair. Over five years it costs about £500,000.
“It was a big decision to make for a small business at the time. The benefit of that – we are now three years into that programme – is we have had at least six graduates and PhDs, so really high level people, to complement our engineering teams.
“As a result of that relationship university graduates want to come and work for my business in the areas I want. They now know us because we have engaged directly with the university.
“If we as a LEP can promote these sort of success stories and encourage businesses to engage directly with the universities, I think we can harness a lot more of that talent and keep it in our region.”

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