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Making a More Effective Network or MeaNs by other means Peter Holmes (MeaNs Project) The purpose of this session was to discuss the ideas raised during the day and to explore ideas of extending the influence of the project after the DfEE funding ceased at the end of March 1998. It was generally considered a good idea that greater co-operation and communication between employers, employees and universities was to be encouraged. The influence would be two-way; employers can learn the use of more recent techniques or use universities for their ongoing training of employees; universities learn what is most useful for their graduates when they are at work.
How do we make a more effective Network?
There are different forums available. Some things
can be done centrally - others are better done locally.
We can make use of what currently exists.
For example:
RSS local groups can encourage recent graduates to
go into schools to publicize the importance of statistics. These
graduates could also go back to universities to talk to
undergraduates. Some of the RSS local meetings could cover the
same themes (some are already taking place). We were told
that PSI will supply speakers on request.
Nationally the RSS might arrange similar meetings. There is currently a push on careers literature - some of this could be aimed at universities as well as schools. Could we encourage the appropriate committees within the RSS to make authoritative pronouncements on skills needed etc.. ASLU is another group with interests in this area.
It is not obvious where in the new journal structure of the RSS articles on education and employment, and the other themes that have come out of MeaNs might be published. There is the electronic Journal for Statistical Education (which is based in USA), and the newsletter of the CTI Statistics Centre is an obvious place.
The Means mailbase will continue to exist and can be used for continuing discussions. As currently organized such discussions would not be part of Allstat (but maybe they should be). The Teaching-Statistics mailbase is really aimed at teaching a lower age group, but some discussion could be initiated here.
The RSS Centre for Statistical Education will continue to support in whatever way it can since this topic is part of its overall brief. It might also be possible to use international links with IASE and ICoTS.
There was some discussion of the importance of publicity. We need to sell statistics with a customer focus. Who would initiate this? Where would the money come from? Content could come from the contacts we have in universities with links to industry/commerce etc. and with graduates who are now in employment.
It would be useful to have a promotional video. The OU was suggested as a possible source - they may already be doing something.
We can also link with new initiatives.
The government is due to publish its response to the report of the Dearing Committee by the end of February.
Locally university departments can also apply pressure to improve teaching through the TQA exercise.
There will be a session on this topic at the RSS Annual Conference. But can we encourage more than this. Is there a place for a larger conference on the whole area to follow up the work that MeaNs has initiated.
Many of these things can be done with existing resources. But some will require funding - a final question (unanswered) was where does money for this sort of activity come from?
