The uni cycle

Amid fears over its acceptance as a 'real' university, the renamed NHSU has a budget in place but much to prove. Lyn Whitfield reports

Press coverage about the NHS University - or NHSU - seems stuck on recycling stories about whether it can ever be a 'real' university.

But behind the scenes, the ambitious project is starting to take shape. When he was interviewed for HSJ's Training and Development special report last year (21 February), chief executive Bob Fryer was NHSU's sole employee.

Now he has a good idea of his budget -£70m-£80m in a full financial year. He has an executive team in place and plans for a headquarters 'within easy reach of London', supported by regional centres.

More importantly, NHSU has just finished consultation on a development plan that sets out some of its key initiatives. These should be in pilot form, at least, by the time it goes live in November.

The rather sniffy press coverage that NHSU has received seems to betray two deep-seated prejudices.

First, there is the idea that working people who have not followed the 'approved' route into further and higher education are incapable of benefiting from it. Second, there is the suspicion that a corporate university will never be as good as a 'proper' one.

Mr Fryer, who ran the Northern College for adult residential education for 15 years, has an infectious enthusiasm for widening access. He also remains 'unutterably' committed to getting university status for NHSU.

'If we are striving for the best for the people we want to serve, then we should be striving to be part of the best educational provision in this country, ' he says.

'There is also a tradition in this country that education for working people should be of university standard, which goes right back to the university extension movement at Cambridge and then Oxford in the 19th century. We want to be part of that tradition.'

The development plan sets out NHSU's ambition to be a 'corporate university with a difference'. It outlines eight guiding principles and some concrete examples of the new curriculum (to be delivered by other providers - NHSU will not have a campus or deliver courses itself ).

The launch portfolio includes a range of initiatives, of which four are particularly striking. The first could sit within the portfolio of any corporate university and is to provide a package of induction materials for the 130,000 people who start NHS careers each year.

Trusts and other NHS organisations will be able to use these, alongside their own programmes where they have them.

The second big idea - a much more radical one - is to develop junior scholarships for 14-19year-olds. These would expose teenagers to the range of opportunities in the NHS and develop learning programmes for them to follow into their chosen career.

Mr Fryer says this should benefit young people, including those who might otherwise drop out of education, while broadening the ethnic and social background of NHS staff. It has, apparently, really 'caught the imagination' of ministers and officials and could be extended to older people.

The third big idea, which touches on work already taken up by further education, is basic skills training - what Mr Fryer calls 'skills for life, health and work'.

The government estimates that 20-23 per cent of the UK workforce lacks at least some basic literacy and numeracy skills. If this applies to the health and social care workforce of roughly 2 million people, NHSU could have a target audience of 400,000-500,000 people in this area.

Moving up a stage, NHSU also wants to offer a 'pathway' to a foundation degree for all NHS staff without a degree-level qualification, once they have worked for the NHS for five years. Mr Fryer estimates that another 400,000 people could be eligible for these.

Such big numbers are 'scary', Mr Fryer says cheerfully. Getting just 5 per cent of those eligible onto the foundation degree pathway would mean recruiting 20,000 students - more than are doing foundation degrees in the UK today.

NHSU, therefore, must strike a balance when it launches later this year between selling its 'vision' and being realistic about what can be achieved, especially in the first few years.

Mr Fryer admits he has two nightmares. 'One is that we work our socks off and get it all ready and then nobody is interested, either because they do not want what we are offering or they cannot get the time off to do it, or whatever. The other is that we work our socks off and get it all ready and then we are swamped.'

In the daylight, however, he is confident NHSU will get the balance right. Indeed, he has a comprehensive, 10-point wish list for what he would like it to have achieved in a year's time (see box).

Of these, perhaps the most ambitious is agreement on how NHSU will move towards its coveted university status. There is no model for a corporate university to do this, and legislation may be needed. But there is no doubting Mr Fryer's determination to get there. l University wish-list By this time next year, NHSU chief Bob Fryer would like:

NHSU's brand recognition to be 'starting to take off '.

NHSU to be 'working closely' with the Department for Education and Skills, colleges and schools.

NHSU to have established a regional presence.

Every trust to be signed up to working with NHSU.

Some programmes to be under way, with others in pilot form.

NHSU's initial e-learning platform to be in place, with a more sophisticated version under development.

An initial advice and support service for students to be in place.

All political parties to regard NHSU as a worthwhile initiative.

Agreement with the devolved administrations on the role of NHSU in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales.

n Agreement with the government, higher education funding council, colleges and universities on how NHSU will move towards university status.