| Description | Minutes of a co-ordinating committee established to deal with Post-Experience courses offered by the University to provide training for graduates already working in industry or commerce, and to develop a coherent academic policy for Post-Experience work. It was established by the Committee of Principals and Deans and approved by the Senate. Membership consisted of academic staff; all Deans or Deputy Deans of the Faculties ex-officio; the Deputy Principal; the Librarian; and a representative from the School of Education.
Minutes of body called the Committee on Post-Experience Courses survive for the period 1969-1970. This body seems to have been established to discuss the development of courses, and to submit a report to the Senate. Minutes of this Committee contain papers giving information about courses offered by the University at that date, in Extra-Mural Studies; the Faculty of Law; the Graduate Centre for Management Studies; the Faculty of Commerce and Social Science; the School of Education; and the Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry. The Committee received information on individual courses in response to circular sent to Departments and Institutes. The minutes contain copies of the draft report and final report to the Senate in May 1970 which described and classified post-experience courses offered within the University, and made recommendations that the University should encourage departments to introduce or expand programmes of Post-Experience Courses, through publicity and an appeal for funds, including an approach to the University Grants Committee to finance the establishment of a University Centre for Post-Experience Courses and to finance specialist institutes, and a direct request for funds to industrial and other organisations likely to derive direct benefit from such activities
There is then a gap in the records, and no further evidence of a committee with this remit until 1975 when the Board of Post-Experience Studies was established with terms of reference to encourage and guide the further development of post-experience work; to deal with academic problems related to post-experience training, and to make recommendations to other University bodies; make recommendations concerning both the development and management of those facilities. Membership consisted of representatives nominated by the Faculties and the School of Education; the chair of the current Post-Experience Training Committee; the chair of the Board of Adult Education; the Director of Extramural Studies; the Registrar; and the Secretary
The Board usually met once a term, but sometimes more often. It was responsible for the development of University policy and scrutiny for post-experience courses, and made decisions about new courses. It dealt with academic aspects of post-experience work, and was analogous to, but separate from, the Board of Adult Education. It worked with the Committee on Post-Experience Training, which dealt with the financial aspects of this work, though the Board also had to comment on matters which were the responsibility of other committees, particularly where financial and academic aspects of problems could not easily be separated.
Minutes of the Board contain information about the establishment of courses; reports from Faculties and extra Faculty units including the Extra Mural Department, the Lucas Institute for Engineering Production, the Health Services Management Centre, the Institute of Local Government Studies, the Water Industry Management Unit, and the Social Services Unit. Minutes also include copies of reports of the Board to the Committee of Principals and Deans. A Water Services Committee which dealt with training courses established for the Severn Trent Water Authority as well as the management of other studies in the water industry, reported to the Board. Minutes held in 1976 discuss the constitution of the Water Industry Management Unit.
Minutes also contain discussion about the expansion of Post-Experiene Training in 1976; the appropriate rules for payments to academic staff for contributions made to post-experience courses; and the collection of statistical information relating to post-experience work in the University, anticipating a request for such information from the University Grants Committee
Minutes of the meeting held on 21 January 1977 include a copy of a report of the Director of Post-Experience Studies concerning discussions with firms about possible training. Minutes of the meeting held on 6 May 1977 include a copy of a memorandum by Professor Sinclair on the development of Post-Experience courses. There are also draft estimates for 1977-1978 for various individual units offering Post-Experience courses. Minutes of meetings held in 1977 contain references to overhead charges and contracts and conditions of service in the post-experience units.
Minutes of the meeting held on 11 November 1977 include informal reviews of the work of Post-Experience Units: the Institute of Local Government Studies, the Lucas Institute for Engineering Production, the Health Services Management Centre, the Social Services Unit, and the Water Industry Management Unit
Minutes of the meeting held on 24 January 1978 include discussion papers about the future of post-experience work in the University, and minutes of the meeting held on 25 April 1978 include proposals for new courses and a paper on the tenure of staff in post-experience work. Minutes of the meetings held held on 30 May 1978 and 10 October 1978 include copies of reports of the Board to the Senate and the Council, as well as accounts and estimates for post-experience units, including the assessment of likely patterns of development of post-experience work in the University.
Minutes of the meeting held on 31 January 1979 include a copy of a paper entitled 'Post Experience Work in Birmingham University' by Professor Prime, which discusses the main features of University organisation, points out the practical relevance of the courses, and highlights the pressure on staff
The Board continued to discuss the future administrative organisation of post-experience work throughout 1979. There are references to the possible development of courses in the field of Public Sector Management. The Board also discussed publicity, and minutes of the meeting held on 26 November 1979 and 20 May 1980 include copies of a published leaflet 'Short Courses for Busy People' which gives details about short post-experience courses offered May to October 1980 and October 1980 to March 1981
Minutes of the Board held at the end of 1979 and in 1980 contain discussion of proposals for a course in Industrial Archaeology and a Diploma Course for Industrial Museum Staff, to be offered at Ironbridge. Minutes of the meeting held on 19 February 1980 include a copy of the first Annual Report of the Applied Geophysics Research Unit
Minutes of the meeting held on 24 May 1982 discuss Microprocessor Systems Activities and include a copy of the Report of the Working Party on Extramural and Post-Experience Work, with discussion points recorded by the Board. The Working Party recommended that the structure of post-experience and extramural work be simplified; that there was a need for a single Board to be comprehensible to people outside the University, but that there should be a small group of people to promote post-experience activities
The last meeting of the Board was held on 23 November 1982 at which it was indicated that special arrangements would be made for any new post-experience unit established in the future. The functions of the Board of Post-Experience Studies and the Board of Adult Education were now combined in the new Board of Continuing Education (see UB/COM/72) |