Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Lord Willetts and Gordon Henderson

Thursday 8th November 2012 Commons Chamber

[Gordon Henderson (Sittingbourne and Sheppey) (Con)]

9. What steps his Department is taking to encourage participants in further and higher education to gain experience and training in business and industry.

[The Minister for Universities and Science (Mr David Willetts)]

We are supporting students to gain vital work experience by growing high-quality apprenticeships across the economy. We are also supporting the roll-out of student enterprise societies in every university to support the creation of student internship and graduate job opportunities with local enterprises.

[Gordon Henderson]

In my constituency, the human resources department of our local Morrisons regional distribution centre is working closely with Sittingbourne community college to ensure that school leavers have a better understanding of what employers expect from potential employees. Will the Government encourage human resources departments based in the head offices of large companies to liaise in a similar way with universities, to better equip students for the workplace?

[Mr Willetts]

That is an excellent and imaginative idea. I think some of that happens already, but we are actively promoting such initiatives in a series of round tables that the Under-Secretary of State for Skills, my hon. Friend the Member for West Suffolk (Matthew Hancock), will be leading. Universities are now obliged to put on their websites key information about graduate employment outcomes from their courses, which will encourage initiatives such as that described by my hon. Friend.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Lord Willetts and Gordon Henderson

Thursday 8th December 2011 Commons Chamber

[Mr Willetts]

The report that we are publishing today is a list of the actions that we have already taken and the further actions that we are proposing to take. That includes technology innovation centres, including specific provision for renewables. It also includes the reintroduction of the Smart awards, which were run into the sand under the previous Government, and a research and development tax credit that will be worth more than £1 billion to companies large and small.

[Gordon Henderson (Sittingbourne and Sheppey) (Con)]

4. What steps his Department is taking to help small and medium-sized businesses to access export markets.