Asked by: Baroness Randerson (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the recent decline in the proportion of young people from Wales applying to go to university and what steps they will take to support the Welsh Government, in order to reduce educational inequalities.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Education)
Education is a devolved matter. The Welsh Government is responsible for reducing inequalities in Wales.
Asked by: Baroness Randerson (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what policies they have to reverse the significant drop in the numbers of foreign students applying to study in the UK.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Education)
The government recognises that international students enrich university campuses, forge lifelong friendships with domestic students and become global ambassadors for the UK, as well as making a significant economic contribution to the higher education sector and the UK.
The department expects the UK to remain a highly attractive study destination. The UK has 4 universities in the top 10, and 15 in the top 100 and international students are offered the opportunity to remain in the UK on a graduate visa for 2 to 3 years after their studies come to an end. Admissions into universities for the 2024/25 academic year are ongoing and the department is closely monitoring them.
Asked by: Baroness Randerson (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to reform the financial model for universities; and what assessment they have made of the financial problems faced by many parts of the higher education sector.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Education)
It is important for universities, their students and staff, that there is a sustainable higher education (HE) funding system that provides opportunities, supports students and maintains the world-leading status of our universities. The government is committed to a sustainable funding model, which supports high value provision thereby powering opportunity and growth and meeting the skills needs of the country.
The government keeps the HE funding system under continuous review. The department will work with universities to support students and deliver for the economy. An announcement on student finance arrangements for the 2025/26 academic year will be made in due course.
Asked by: Baroness Randerson (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to open negotiations with the European Union about rejoining the Erasmus scheme.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Education)
The department is working to reset the relationship with its European friends to strengthen ties and tackle barriers to trade. My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, has said that we must do more to champion ties between the UK and the EU’s people and culture, for example through holidays, family ties, school and student exchanges, the arts and sport.
This is not about renegotiating or relitigating Brexit, but about looking forward and building a strong and constructive relationship between the United Kingdom and the European Union.
Asked by: Baroness Randerson (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to reduce delays in decisions on applications for funding under the Turing Scheme; and what assessment have they made of the impact of those delays on students from poorer backgrounds.
Answered by Baroness Barran
The Turing Scheme is a demand led, competitive programme with an annual application cycle. Decisions on allocations of funding each year depends on the number of applications that are successful, and how much funding successful organisations apply for. That means the department can only confirm how much funding each organisation can receive once all applications have been assessed.
In the past three academic years, successful applicant institutions have been notified of their funding allocation according to the department’s published timeline, before the start of the academic year and before the funding period for international placements commences. Once the grant agreement is in place, it is the responsibility of grant recipients to make timely requests for payments so that they can disburse funding to their participants at the point of need. All payments to grant recipients making valid payment requests have been disbursed to providers on time according to the agreed process.
The department has published information for 2024/25 applications to the Turing Scheme, which is available at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/turing-scheme-apply-for-funding-for-international-placements. Schools, colleges and universities, across the UK can now review the guidance and prepare their applications for funding ahead of the application window opening in February 2024.
Asked by: Baroness Randerson (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the reasons for the closure of the National College for Advanced Transport and Infrastructure; what steps they plan to take to support (1) the redeployment of the College’s staff, and (2) the College’s students to complete their courses; and how the specialist premises and equipment will be used after its closure.
Answered by Baroness Barran
The department is working with the National College for Advanced Transport and Infrastructure (NCATI) to safeguard the interests of learners and ensure they have the opportunity to complete or continue their studies. Dependent on their location, 24 learners on study programmes have transferred to either DN Colleges Group or to South & City College Birmingham, 25 higher education learners will complete their programme in partnership with Sheffield Hallam University, and 38 apprentices will complete their programme with NCATI before 31 July 2023. With the support of their employers, a further 81 apprentices with an end date beyond 31 July 2023 have been transferred to other good quality providers.
The department is also working with the NCATI and the University of Birmingham to secure a sustainable educational use for the buildings that protects the public investment made.
In February 2022, the Department for Transport set up the industry-led skills and employment Taskforce, TEST. This is made up of leading transport industry figures who are best placed to reflect the sector’s concerns on skills and the transport labour market.
TEST’s overarching aims are to raise the profile of transport careers, promote access to training and employment opportunities, identify what specific future skills the transport sector needs, and identify innovative ways of encouraging people from underrepresented communities to work and stay in the industry.
The government is investing £3.8 billion more in further education and skills over the Parliament to ensure people can access high-quality training and education that addresses skills gaps and boosts productivity. That includes approximately £300 million to establish 21 Institutes of Technology (IoTs) across the country. IoTs will provide access to industry standard facilities and focus on the technical training needs of employers, including the rail industry, and learners in their local areas.
Asked by: Baroness Randerson (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government, following the closure of the National College for Advanced Transport and Infrastructure, how they plan to ensure that sufficient engineers and other specialists required to maintain the UK’s railways and transport infrastructure will be trained in the future; and what financial support they are offering to support such training.
Answered by Baroness Barran
The department is working with the National College for Advanced Transport and Infrastructure (NCATI) to safeguard the interests of learners and ensure they have the opportunity to complete or continue their studies. Dependent on their location, 24 learners on study programmes have transferred to either DN Colleges Group or to South & City College Birmingham, 25 higher education learners will complete their programme in partnership with Sheffield Hallam University, and 38 apprentices will complete their programme with NCATI before 31 July 2023. With the support of their employers, a further 81 apprentices with an end date beyond 31 July 2023 have been transferred to other good quality providers.
The department is also working with the NCATI and the University of Birmingham to secure a sustainable educational use for the buildings that protects the public investment made.
In February 2022, the Department for Transport set up the industry-led skills and employment Taskforce, TEST. This is made up of leading transport industry figures who are best placed to reflect the sector’s concerns on skills and the transport labour market.
TEST’s overarching aims are to raise the profile of transport careers, promote access to training and employment opportunities, identify what specific future skills the transport sector needs, and identify innovative ways of encouraging people from underrepresented communities to work and stay in the industry.
The government is investing £3.8 billion more in further education and skills over the Parliament to ensure people can access high-quality training and education that addresses skills gaps and boosts productivity. That includes approximately £300 million to establish 21 Institutes of Technology (IoTs) across the country. IoTs will provide access to industry standard facilities and focus on the technical training needs of employers, including the rail industry, and learners in their local areas.
Asked by: Baroness Randerson (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the report by Universities UK International and the Higher Education Policy Institute, The costs and benefits of international higher education students in the UK, published on 16 May, which suggested a total net benefit of £37.4 billion to the UK economy associated with international students during the years 2018–19 and 2021–22; and what plans they have to further support universities to recruit internationally.
Answered by Baroness Barran
The government recognises the significant contribution that international students make to the UK higher education (HE) sector and to the UK economy as a whole.
Attracting the brightest students from around the world is good for our universities, delivers growth at home and supports the creation of more places for UK students.
As my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, outlined in her speech at the Education World Forum on 8 May 2023, the department is hugely proud to have met its international student recruitment ambition two years running by attracting more than 600,000 international students. International mobility helps us build global relationships and makes an important contribution to UK science and research, supporting the cutting edge of global discoveries and emerging technologies.
The department wants to continue to attract students from around the world to benefit from British HE. That is why, on 23 May 2023, the department reaffirmed its commitment to the International Education Strategy, which is vital for ensuring that the UK remains competitive in the global HE market.
Asked by: Baroness Randerson (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what are the causes of delays to payments to students on the Turing scheme; and what plans they have (1) to reduce the level of bureaucracy involved in applications, and (2) to mitigate the effect of these problems on poorer students.
Answered by Baroness Barran
Turing Scheme grant recipients are organisations that are, in the main, education providers. The department is aware that some organisations have experienced issues navigating the process for claiming Turing Scheme funds, including providing the correct evidence on projects, which has led to delays in payment being processed. The Turing Scheme delivery partner, Capita, has already taken steps to help organisations better understand the process. This includes video instructions, written guidance and one to one telephone support when requested.
Department officials are also working with Capita to review how it can improve the overall customer experience while obtaining assurance that Turing Scheme funds are being appropriately spent, within the grant terms.
Under the current payment process, it is the responsibility of grant recipients to request grant funds on time, in line with project plans and to disburse funding to participants. To ensure this does not negatively impact disadvantaged students, Capita have made payments outside of its regular payment cycle where requests have been submitted late or were initially rejected due to incomplete evidence, especially if this puts student placements at risk.
The Turing Scheme continues to place great emphasis on providing opportunities for those from disadvantaged backgrounds.
Asked by: Baroness Randerson (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of their decision to terminate the BTEC qualification in Health and Social Care on the numbers of students applying for courses to qualify as nurses; and what percentage of students starting nursing courses in each of the last three years have achieved this qualification.
Answered by Baroness Barran
The department has been clear that it will continue to fund some BTEC courses and other qualifications in future where there is a clear need for skills and knowledge that A levels and T Levels cannot provide, and where they meet new quality standards. The government intends to fund small academic qualifications that should typically be taken alongside A levels in priority areas such as STEM subjects, and in areas where an A level is not available, such as health and social care. We will set out the full approval criteria in the autumn.
The department is reforming the system to ensure all qualifications approved for funding are high quality, have a clear purpose, and deliver great outcomes. T Levels have been developed with over 250 leading employers, have significantly longer teaching hours and include a meaningful nine-week industry placement that sets them apart from many current vocational qualifications. The Health T Level will help raise awareness amongst young people of the occupational choices within the healthcare sector and provide an opportunity for employers to strengthen their engagement with local schools and colleges. In addition, the Health T Level will provide a pipeline of young talent who may move into Trainee Nursing Associate and Assistant Health Practitioner roles, later progressing to the registered occupations.
As a department, we don’t hold the data on the percentage of students starting nursing courses in each of the last three years.