The range of  ways in which universities have responded to the pressures on students, graduates and businesses created by the recession have been captured by Universities UK in our publication From Recession to Recovery. This report documents the way universities acted rapidly to help students, graduates and businesses, from:

• providing extra help for this year’s graduates
• making it easier for companies to access university expertise
• free courses for the unemployed
• targeted help for industries which are in difficulty
• helping them innovate to survive.

Recession to recovery draws on a number of case studies, for example:

• the University of Leicester has established a ‘graduate start-up scheme’, offering £5,000 worth of training and business support to graduates who want to start their own businesses.
• Keele is helping to equip 140 unemployed or at risk people in North Staffordshire with skills in environmental management, to help them take advantage of opportunities in a growth industry.
• The University of Worcester has developed a graduate internship programme with local employers which will enable graduates to combine a year-long paid work experience with further study.
• The Open University is using its website to provide free advice on coping with redundancy and how to recession-proof your career, as well as including tips for getting jobs and help in developing a ‘personal action plan’ to outsmart the recession.

From Recession to Recovery drew, amongst other sources, on information gathered by the Higher Education Regional Associations (HERAs) in England for the Higher Education Funding Council. HEFCE has published this extremely detailed information about new activities undertaken by universities in response to the recession in the form of the HERA Barometer.

• HERA Barometer Report: July 2009
• HERA Barometer Report: May 2009