HCI PILLAR 3 MID-TERM EVALUATION REPORT:
- 1,000 new courses across 34 disciplines
- 4,276 additional student places
- 23,301 learners impacted
- 33,352 engagements with 427 enterprise partners
The Higher Education Authority (HEA) released its mid-term evaluation report on the Human Capital Initiative (HCI) Pillar 3 projects on 29 June 2023.
The report, prepared by Indecon International Economic Consultants, was presented at the Collaboration Nation: Linking Higher Education and Enterprise event, The Convention Centre Dublin, which was attended by Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (DFHERIS) Simon Harris TD.
The report provided an evaluation of the 24 projects funded by the HEA as part of the €300 million, five-year plan. Aligned with the aims of the National Skills Strategy 2025, the HCI aims to increase capacity in higher education to provide skills-focused programmes designed to meet priority skills needs, by increasing collaboration between higher education and enterprise, with a focus on innovations in teaching and learning.
The report shows that the programme is exceeding targets on the creation of new courses, with over 1,000 created – 800 more than the initial target. Over 4,000 additional student places have been achieved through direct funding, with a significant number still expected as projects mature.
All 24 Projects have been successfully initiated and are largely on target, while governance structures have been established at project level, and the HEA has instituted a strong level of monitoring of progress against pre-agreed targets.
A strong positive response was reported by the 400+ enterprise partners, with whom intensive collaboration has seen over 33,000 engagements, leading to innovation in terms of new technologies, learning methods and curriculum design.