Staff and business development through higher education
Higher education business support
Other support available to businesses through higher education include some of the following.
Learning programmes
There are also learning programmes that are explicitly marketed as supporting workforce development.
These usually try to develop technical knowledge and skills, and can range from non-accredited short courses e.g. days or weeks - to undergraduate and postgraduate qualifications with a vocational focus.
These may include CPD (Continuing Professional Development) and opportunities to gain professional qualifications.
Business advice and staff training
The higher education sector can also provide business advice and staff training at all levels, including distance or e-learning, or part-time courses on a wide variety of topics e.g. leadership and management skills, HR, finance, marketing and customer service.
Courses may be taught or held in various places, depending on who is providing the course. For example, higher education courses may be taught at universities, or at further education colleges. The Northern Ireland universities partner with further education colleges, where students register at a university but are taught at a partner college.
Knowledge Transfer Partnerships
The Knowledge Transfer Partnerships (KTP) scheme helps businesses improve their competitiveness, productivity and performance through better use of knowledge, technology and skills.
Find out more about Knowledge Transfer Partnerships.