News stories from The Open University in 2011

Open University places business relevance at the heart of new undergraduate degrees to address IT skills gap

The Open University | 16 Jun 2011

The Open University has launched two new undergraduate Computing and IT degrees to help the UK overcome a recruitment crisis which sees employers struggling to fill an estimated 110,000 new IT jobs created this year [3]. Developed alongside e-skills UK and representatives from industry, the degrees incorporate work-based learning and offer credit for prior work experience to ensure they are fully compatible with current industry needs.

Open University engineering degrees receive IMechE accreditation

The Open University | 26 May 2011

The Open University has just received accreditation from The Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE) for its engineering degrees. This is in addition to their recent re-accreditation by the Institution of Engineering Designers (IED) and Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers (CIBSE). Professional membership of engineering institutions requires formal assessment and recognition of the level of experience and qualifications achieved.

New technology to help young children's reading

The Open University | 26 May 2011

Researchers at The Open University have created a free 'app' to help parents teach their children to read.
Our Story has been designed to be used on mobile devices, such as the iphone or iPad. The app incorporates research findings and theory to provide the experiences known to develop the abilities and motivation for reading. Parents can easily create their own personal picture books, stories and games and in doing so support vocabulary development and reading skills.

Small manufacturers show the most positive growth in Britain’s SME sector

The Open University | 27 Apr 2011

With the welcome exception of manufacturing, the pace of recovery among Britain’s small businesses appears to have paused over the past quarter according to the Quarterly Survey of Small Business in Britain, which is produced by The Open University Business School and supported by ACCA (The Association of Chartered Certified Accountants) and Barclays Business.

First ever UK Cyber Security Champion selects Open University course as prize

The Open University | 08 Mar 2011

Dan Summers, a postman from Wakefield, is the newly crowned winner of the Cyber Security Challenge UK, a nationwide competition set up to find future security professionals. One of his prizes is a Computer Forensics and Investigations course with The Open University, and Dan is keen to further develop his skills.

Future IT workers lack business know-how to stave off skills shortage warns Open University report

The Open University | 16 Feb 2011

Research presented today by The Open University suggests that the IT industry and higher education must collaborate to improve the readiness of future professionals to succeed in the workplace and help mitigate the worst affects of an imminent skills shortage.

The Open University and CIO Executive Council Partner to Educate Future CIOs to Reach Board Level Status

The Open University | 10 Feb 2011

The Open University has licensed the CIO Executive Council Pathways competency framework, which allows future CIOs to follow a clearly devised learning plan, from IT staff to Board level. The framework will be mapped to The Open University's extensive online industry curriculum online to provide future Chief Information Officers with the essential skills required to reach Board status.

ITT Gold Award for OU course that brings the design studio to your home computer

The Open University | 08 Feb 2011

An online course that teaches students how to design everything from games to T-shirts won the top prize at the IT Training Awards 2011. The Open University’s ‘Design Thinking: Creativity For The 21st Century’ is the first to take a design studio learning environment online and allows students to share ideas, collaborate on projects and feedback on each other’s work.