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 - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
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 - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
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 - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
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 - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
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 - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
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 - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
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.
Asked by: Baroness Randerson (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether HGV drivers who have independently acquired a provisional HGV licence and passed the Driver Certificate of Professional Competence modules one and two are eligible to enrol on a recognised course to complete the training.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Skills Bootcamps in Heavy Goods Vehicle (HGV) driving cover all parts of the training pathway to become a HGV driver. This includes the cost of an HGV medical exam, provisional HGV licence, a theory test, and the Driver Certificate of Professional Competence modules one and two if required. The department is aware that some learners have chosen to complete at least one of these elements of the training pathway themselves before applying for a place with a Skills Bootcamps supplier, for example by taking an HGV medical exam, applying for a provisional licence, or completing the theory test.
To ensure that individuals who have already completed some elements of the Skills Bootcamps in the HGV driving training pathway have the chance to secure a training place, we have informed suppliers they should consider applications from such individuals where places are available.
Asked by: Baroness Randerson (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether international students arriving in the UK for the next academic year will be eligible for COVID-19 vaccinations from the NHS; if so, whether eligibility for such vaccines will depend on availability of vaccines in their home country; and what assessment they have made of proposals for universities using appropriately trained personnel to administer such vaccines.
Answered by Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
International students who live in the UK will be able to access the COVID-19 vaccine for free. Their eligibility for a COVID-19 vaccine here is not predicated on having had one abroad.
When students arrive in the UK, they should register with a local GP surgery as soon as possible. There may be a GP surgery attached to their university. People who are registered with a GP will be contacted by their surgery to book their vaccine via an online or telephone system when they are eligible. There is no need for students proactively to contact their GP about the COVID-19 vaccine.
COVID vaccination sites are able to set up temporary vaccination clinics in a wide range of locations to ensure that patients can easily access the vaccine; this can include sites on university campuses.
Asked by: Baroness Randerson (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to establish a fund to which schools can apply to cover costs of visas required to recruit foreign language teaching assistants.
Answered by Baroness Berridge
Due to shortage of time, it has not been possible to answer this question before the end of the Session. The Minister will write to the Member in due course.
Asked by: Baroness Randerson (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that policies on higher education and freedom of speech are based on (1) accurate research, and (2) evidence which reflects a balance of information.
Answered by Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
There is growing concern within the government that free speech and academic freedom on some university campuses is being affected by increasing intolerance of ideas which challenge conventional wisdom, leading to a chilling effect whereby not all students and staff may feel able to express themselves without fear of repercussions. There have been a number of studies, surveys, and reports highlighting instances where freedom of speech and academic freedom is being curtailed in the higher education sector – including from King’s College London, the University and College Union, Policy Exchange, and the Joint Committee on Human Rights.
Alongside this, there have been a small number of high-profile reported incidents in which staff or students have been threatened with negative consequences, including loss of privileges or dismissal, sometimes successfully, confirming that the fear of repercussion is not always unfounded.
Officials and Ministers continue to work with a wide range of groups and bodies across the higher education sector, including Universities UK and the National Union of Students, to ensure that our universities are places where free speech can thrive.