Student numbers are at risk as UK demographics shift

Universities face a shortfall of 70,000 students by the end of the next decade, as a result of a drop in the number of young people in the UK.

On current demographic trends, the full-time undergraduate student population of UK higher education institutions will fall by 4.6 per cent by 2020, or 70,000 full-time under­graduate places, according to an analysis for Universities UK.

One of the authors of the report, The Future Size and Shape of the HE Sector in the UK, says universities will have to “seize new markets” for older, part-time, work-based and overseas students.

The report also predicts stiffer competition for students between England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, as demographic changes vary between regions. The report forms part of a series of seven reviews, commissioned last month by Universities Secretary John Denham, into the long-term future of higher education in Britain.

It predicts that the 2020 UK dip will have reversed by 2027, by which time total student numbers will be up by 2.1 per cent, with the biggest growth in part-time undergraduates and full-time postgraduates. But this recovery masks long-term prob-lems in Scotland, which may see full-time undergraduate numbers drop 8.4 per cent by 2027, as well as in Wales (down 4.9 per cent) and Northern Ireland (down 13.1 per cent) – compared with a 2.9 per cent rise in England.

Gen Y Workforce Helps eLearning Take-up in USA

Despite some differing numbers, two widely regarded and independent reports on the US training market conclude that 30 percent of employee learning last year occurred online.

After years of investing in content and integrated delivery infrastructure, organisations are beginning to see those investments pay off in a dramatic increase in the use of technology enabled learning. As more and more employees use online tools, organisations are seeing costs rise slightly.

These are the key findings from two pieces of reaseach that guage the state of the US training market. The American Society for Training and Development (ASTD) and Bersin & Associates carried out the reasearch in 2007 and released their reports in January 2008.

Both reports highlight the part played by shifting demographics in corporate America. The younger and more tech-savvy Gen Y-ers are filtering into the workforce and are comfortable and eager to use online tools and platforms to to aid their professional growth and development.

Gen Y Issues will impact UK Defence Sector

At a recent conference - over 200 senior engineers from the UK Defence sector received a presentation from Atos Consulting on how changing demographics and the future generation of employees may shape their plans and strategy over the next 5-10 years. Using electronic voting machines - 73% of delegates felt the issues discussed will have a sigificant impact on their future plans.

Atos Consulting's Marc Humphries commented, "I was impressed by the increasing awareness some of the audience had about the issues they are facing. Some organisations already have research teams looking into this area - and others were already experimenting with Web 2.0 collaboration technologies and serious, immersive games."