More challenges for universities
15 Jan 2000
Chemical engineering departments of English, Welsh and Northern Irish universities have criticised a government investigation into the subject's teaching.
The Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) conducted its Total Quality Assessment inspection last year. It published individual and general reports as well as point scores for each department, in December.
The Standing Conference of Professors and Heads of Chemical Engineering Departments claims that, although the TQA was worthwhile, the HEFCE approach was inefficient and divisive.
It urged improvements including: cutting paperwork; employing better qualified assessors; and re-examining the grading system.
Standing Conference convenor John Garside of UMIST told PE: `The scoring system isn't helpful towards teaching of the subject. It sets up competition where collaboration would be more valuable.'
v The chemical industries' major employers boosted graduate recruitment by 33 per cent between 1994 and 1995 (from 361 to 481 students). They reported the rise in response to a Chemical Industries Association survey (above).
The retrospective forecast for 1996 was not so rosy with a nine percent drop to 437 on the cards.
The CIA detected a trend towards `a gradual tightening of the graduate market' with more companies reporting shortages - of chemical engineers, in particular.
