Learning and Teaching Conference 2025
Thursday 3rd April
Frederick Douglass Centre
NEW: A vision for education and skills at Newcastle University: Education for Life 2030+
About the Conference
We’ve made a commitment to develop and embed a new curriculum framework that speaks to our values, is inclusive by design, supports our disciplines with pedagogic innovation, reflects the expectations of our employers, and simplifies and harmonises structures across the University.
This year's conference is a chance for colleagues and students across the University to bring to the forefront innovative thinking, practice and projects that are aligned to the principles of our emerging Leading Edge Curriculum. Colleagues and students involved in developing the Leading Edge Curriculum Framework will be sharing progress with our education community.
This year's sub-themes
Equity
To provide a core, universal offer for all students, including tailored provision where needed, to ensure equity of access, experience and in outcomes for all, regardless of background, identity, nationality, location or mode of study.
Encounters with the leading edge
To put at the heart of our curriculum and learning experiences, encounters with our world leading research and the leading edge of industry and practice.
Fit for the Future
How our curriculum and teaching and learning approaches support students to be fit for their future.
Keynote Address
There’s a skills crisis in the UK. An estimated 20% of the workforce in the UK will be significantly under skilled for their jobs by 2030. Two-thirds (66%) of large UK businesses say they struggle to recruit employees with the skills they need. This could be as many as 6.5 million people. And yet funding for skills is in decline – both from business and government.
The latest evidence from TIGA, a UK trade association for the video games industry, suggests that 68% of games businesses are regularly reporting skill gaps, with soft skills like communication and management often the most in-demand.
So, what are the solutions? And where can industry and education work together to prepare current and future workforces for the challenges that lie ahead?
In this keynote, Lisa Opie will explore the reasons for this schism, the impact it has on both the industry and people entering the workforce and begin exploring opportunities for collaboration focused on mutual success.
Keynote Speaker
Lisa Opie
Managing Director
Ubisoft
Lisa Opie is Managing Director of Ubisoft Reflections, a AAA studio producing a new game and co-developing several major Ubisoft titles with partners around the world.
Part of the wider Ubisoft group, with 20,000 team members working across more than 30 countries worldwide, the studios are bound by a common mission to enrich players’ lives with original and memorable gaming experiences.
Lisa was previously Managing Director Production, BBC Studios. She helped lead the division into the commercial market and oversaw a raft of titles including Planet Earth 2, Doctor Who, Trying, Strictly Come Dancing, and Good Omens, among many more.
Alongside her unique cross-industry experience, Lisa brings a passion for innovation, plus a commitment to creating an inclusive workplace where everyone can be their authentic self. She is currently Visiting Professor of Innovation and Enterprise at Newcastle University Business School.
