Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Michelle Donelan and Virginia Crosbie

Monday 12th October 2020 Commons Chamber

[Virginia Crosbie (Ynys Môn) (Con)]

What steps his Department is taking to encourage more people to take up STEM subjects at university.

[The Minister for Universities (Michelle Donelan)]

The Government encourage the study of science, technology, engineering and maths at all stages, which is vital for our economy and to drive productivity. In higher education, we are removing loan funding barriers for part-time STEM study at equivalent or lower levels and piloting graduate conversion courses for studying engineering, computer science and artificial intelligence.

[Virginia Crosbie]

In my constituency of Ynys Môn, I am working with Coleg Menai, M-SParc and the team at Bangor University to organise an innovation jobs fair. How is the Minister encouraging innovative companies such as Dyson to invest in the next generation?

[Michelle Donelan]

Dyson’s UK site is based just outside my constituency, and I must declare that it has twice sponsored the Wiltshire Festival of Engineering, which I have organised. I am delighted that, as of last week, the pioneering Dyson Institute will be able to award its own degrees. A business taking this step is revolutionary, and I hope that many more will follow, to give students a much more diverse choice in higher education and ensure that we can deliver the skills that this country needs.