Delivering Sustainable Value in the Education Sector
Overview
Sustainability and financial pressures are key issues facing the education industry, with almost all tiers experiencing challenging conditions, not just higher education. Operating in both the private and public sectors, education is an essential driving force for delivering the skills required by economies all over the world. Despite the mounting financial challenges, some education providers are managing to push forward, utilising their most effective talent to thrive in a world that never stops changing.
Challenges & Opportunities
Disruptive technology, like in so many industries, requires organisations to adapt and those that fail to do so will fall behind. This is a crucial area where external experts can provide significant value. Our team at ERA Group will provide practical advice and methodologies to help you optimise your organisation, evolving your processes to embrace chance instead of being hindered by it. By implementing efficiency at the heart of your infrastructure, no matter what tier of education you are operating on, our experts deliver Value through Insight™ which enables you to unlock your potential and achieve your long term goals.
An Introduction to ERA Group Education Solutions
Colleges, Universities and MATs are under increasing pressure to achieve budget reduction whilst having to operate with a lack of funding. ERA Group provide a wide range of industry solutions, including education. Here, Nick Clement, one of our leading Education and Not for Profit specialists, discusses the common challenges faced by organisations within the education industry and explores how ERA Group Education Solutions can help.
"Disruptive technology, like so many industries, requires organisations to adapt and those that fail to do so will fall behind. This is a crucial area where external experts can provide significant value."
Industry Challenges
Lack of Funding
Having worked extensively within the Education sector over the past two decades, ERA have seen at first hand the detrimental impact that lack of funding has on teaching and learning in schools, MAT’s and colleges, particularly on staffing levels, reduced curriculum provision and extracurricular activities to an extent where teachers have been forced to pay for teaching materials out of their own pockets.
Lack of Resource and Expertise
The roles of CEO, COO, CFO, Bursar, Business or Finance Manager within this sector are vitally important.
Unfortunately, incumbents in these roles often do not have the time, resources or expertise to manage each and every cost area, with the added challenges of statutory constraints and demands faced by those in public sector education.
Public Sector Frameworks
Purchasing via a Public Sector Framework (or Procurement Framework) can help with these challenges. Whilst frameworks are useful, do you know if they are really delivering best value? They are restricted by the specific suppliers who are accepted on to them and there are many frameworks to choose from, offering different pricing and service levels.
As an approved supplier on a procurement consultancy framework ourselves, we work together with our clients to help them optimise the use of frameworks, offering alternatives where a particular framework may be outdated or where the best value suppliers are not included.
Download the ERA Group Education Solutions guide today and examine how your organisation can overcome these challenges and others to gain a competitive advantage.
"The Institute for Fiscal Studies analysis says since 2009, spending has fallen by 8% per pupil once rising costs such as pay and pension contributions are taken into account."
Education Industry Case Studies
Southfields Multi-Academy Trust Case Study
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St Michael's School Case Study
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"Ours in not just a ’money saving crusade’ but also a mission to embed a smarter spending culture throughout for our educational clients and demonstrate that a pound saved elsewhere really is a pound that can then be put to use in the classroom."