Asked by: Lord Goodlad (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government (1) whether they intend to establish university scholarships for former interpreters, and the families of these interpreters, from Afghanistan who are resident in the UK, and if so, (2) how many they plan to establish, and (3) when they will be established.
Answered by Baroness Barran
The government welcomes our responsibility to those who have worked for the British forces in conflict zones. Many have served with distinction and at great personal risk, working in dangerous and challenging situations. We would not have been able to carry out our work there without them.
We are doing what is right to honour their service by providing generous support that properly reflects their work and the risks involved, especially to interpreters and translators who worked alongside us in frontline roles; through the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP), details of which can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/afghan-relocations-and-assistance-policy/afghan-relocations-and-assistance-policy-information-and-guidance .
In addition to the ARAP, the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme will welcome up to an additional 20,000 vulnerable Afghans to the UK, including women, children, LGBT and religious minorities, details of which can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/afghan-citizens-resettlement-scheme.
A significant cross-government effort is under way, dubbed ‘Operation Warm Welcome’, to ensure Afghans arriving in the UK receive the vital support they need to rebuild their lives, find work, pursue education, and integrate into their local communities.
As part of Operation Warm Welcome, we announced there would be further funding for up to 300 undergraduate and postgraduate scholarships for Afghans at UK universities. The department will update with further details of this programme in due course.
Asked by: Lord Goodlad (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will give students from Hong Kong domestic fee status at universities in England.
Answered by Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay
To qualify for home fee status in England, a person must have settled status or a recognised connection to the UK. This includes people who are covered by the EU Withdrawal Agreement, who have long residence in this country, or who have been granted international protection by the Home Office. There are also requirements associated with ordinary residence in the UK. Subject to meeting the normal eligibility requirements, people with Hong Kong British National (Overseas) status will be able to qualify for home fees once they have acquired settled status in the UK.
Asked by: Lord Goodlad (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have received regarding the activities of (1) Confucius Institutes in universities, and (2) Confucius Classrooms in schools; and what their response has been.
Answered by Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay
A number of UK higher education providers host Confucius Institutes and are responsible for ensuring their partnerships are managed appropriately with the right due diligence in place.
The government has received queries regarding Confucius Institutes and Confucius Classrooms, and it takes seriously any concerns regarding the operation of international organisations at UK schools and universities. The government will continue to support the higher education sector and other related bodies to promote mutually beneficial international partnerships and UK values.
We encourage providers (including schools), if they have any concerns, to contact the Department for Education with any queries regarding their international collaborations.
Asked by: Lord Goodlad (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government when their review of post-18 education and funding will be published.
Answered by Viscount Younger of Leckie
The Review of Post-18 Education and Funding is being informed by independent advice from an expert panel, chaired by Philip Augar.
The panel have undertaken an extensive programme of stakeholder engagement and evidence gathering. They will report in 2019 before government concludes the overall review.
The government will want to move swiftly to improve the post-18 system once the review has concluded. Implementation timetables will depend on the review’s findings and recommendations and the legislative and operational requirements.
Asked by: Lord Goodlad (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government when the results of the latest UK employer skills survey will be published.
Answered by Lord Agnew of Oulton
The latest UK Employer Skills Survey was conducted in 2017 and the results were published in August 2018. The main report is included as an attachment to this response. Further findings and information can be found on the Employer Skills Survey page of GOV.UK at https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/uk-employer-skills-survey-2017.
Asked by: Lord Goodlad (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps, if any, they have taken to ensure that the apprenticeship scheme is suitable for the creative industries; and what has been the outcome of those steps.
Answered by Lord Agnew of Oulton
Our apprenticeship reforms are placing employers at the heart of ensuring that they have the right skills in their workforce to grow their business and to increase their productivity. However, we do recognise that some sectors and employers, including in the creative industries, experience challenges in taking advantage of the apprenticeship reforms.
Improving quality is a fundamental part of our reforms to apprenticeships. We are making sure that apprenticeships are high quality, industry recognised and delivered by quality providers. Apprenticeship standards are being developed by employers themselves to ensure their relevance. Over 70 employers are involved in developing new apprenticeship standards in the creative and digital industries sectors. There are 32 creative and design and digital industries standards currently available, with 38 more in development.
As part of the Creative Industries Sector Deal, the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport is supporting the creative careers strategy by working with the Institute for Apprenticeships on the development of apprenticeship standards, classifying areas where there are skills gaps identified as Industrial Strategy priorities.
We have introduced the apprenticeship levy to encourage sustained employer investment in high quality apprenticeships and are carefully monitoring the impact of the levy in different sectors. We are also working with ScreenSkills to discuss options for how best the sector can benefit from sustainable investment in the apprenticeship training that they need.