§ 27. Sir WILFRID SUGDENasked the President of the Board of Education the number of industrial students of technical institutions in Great Britain, for the years 1922, 1923, and 1924, respectively, who also take some university training; and what steps he is taking to ensure greater co-operation of aim and policy between technical institutions and universities?
§ Lord E. PERCYAs the reply to this question is very long, I will, with my hon. Friend's permission, circulate it in the OFFICIAL REPORT.
§ The reply is as follows:
§ There are numerous ways in which a technical college student may be con- 2782 nected with a university. The University of London recognises teachers in non-university institutions in London and the neighbourhood, including certain polytechnics and similar institutions. In the result of these arrangements the university may admit to its degree examinations as internal students of the university those matriculated students who are taught by recognised teachers in technical colleges. Apart from these arrangements it is open to any technical college to prepare students for the external examinations of the University of London, and in a, number of technical schools and colleges individual students obtain university degrees in this manner. Of the technical college students who obtain internal or external degrees of the University of London, the majority are full-time students without industrial experience, but part-time students engaged in industry are occasionally successful.
§ Some scholarships are provided by local education authorities in the Lancashire area to enable young men who are engaged in the textile industry to attend the Manchester Municipal College for part-time or full-time study. The full-time students at this college study for the degree or diploma of the University of Manchester.
§ The Board's Royal Scholarships which are occasionally obtained, particularly in engineering, by students who have attended technical colleges are tenable at the Imperial College of Science and Technology, which is a university institution. Sir Joseph Whitworth's Scholarships, which may be held for university study, are open only to candidates with industrial experience.
§ The University of Leeds has arrangements for giving credit to study in certain technical colleges before entry to the university, and I understand that some extension of these arrangements is in prospect. Apart from these definite arrangements under which technical college students may obtain university degrees as students in university institutions or otherwise, a few industrial students proceed to university institutions after attending technical colleges.
§ The number of technical college students who took a university examination other than Matriculation, in the years ended 31st July, 1922, 1923 and 2783 1924, was 330, 271 and 328, respectively. The number of these students who had obtained industrial experience could not be stated without further inquiry. As regards students who obtained Royal Scholarships and Whitworth Scholarships, I am sending my hon. Friend copies of the regulations and syllabuses of the examinations, and of the published lists of awards. He will perceive that the relations of technical colleges to universities are by no means simple or uniform, and only a somewhat elaborate statement, based upon a special and detailed inquiry, addressed to both university institutions and technical colleges, would answer my hon. Friend's question in the very general and vague form in which it is put. I am doubtful whether the importance of the matter would justify such an inquiry.
§ With reference to the second part of the question, I have no doubt that universities and technical colleges in industrial areas are aware of the advantages of co-operation, and I think it may be left to them to settle their relations to their mutual advantage without my intervention. As regards Scotland, I must refer my hon. Friend to my right hon. Friend the Secretary for Scotland.