Establishing Industrial Advisory Boards using a practice transfer model

The Faculty of Mathematics and Physical Sciences at the University of Leeds established discipline-based Industrial Advisory Boards (IABs) with the support of the National HE STEM Programme. The Faculty was advised by the University of Sheffield, which had also recently established an IAB under the National HE STEM Programme. Using a Practice Transfer Adoption Scheme (PTAS), the University of Sheffield was able to share its experience and facilitate the process at the University of Leeds and at a number of other institutions nationally. Separate advisory boards were established in the Schools of Chemistry, Mathematics and Physics, although there is some overlap in membership. Each of the IABs considers both teaching and research activities. There is a strong focus on developing a better understanding of skills development within the undergraduate programmes to meet the needs of employers. Industrial projects, case studies and guest lectures have all enhanced the curricula and provided students with some commercial insight. Opportunities for interaction between the board and current students, such as networking events, are being developed and piloted. Practice Transfer Adoption proved to be a very effective and efficient model for initiating and implementing change. Through the sharing of good practice and mentoring, timescales for implementation were significantly shorter than the timescales required to implement new initiatives without a PTA model.