HC Deb 01 February 1968 vol 757 cc1535-6
17. Mr. Hornby

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what encouragement he is giving to the provision of courses in management studies at undergraduate level in institutions for which he is responsible.

Mrs. Shirley Williams

I am anxious to see such courses provided at the appropriate level. Many undergraduate courses in the fields of engineering and other subjects contain an element of management studies. But specialised courses are normally post-graduate or are taken by practising managers already in industry.

Mr. Hornby

What attitude has been expressed to the Minister by industry about the provision of courses such as these at the undergraduate level?

Mrs. Williams

The hon. Gentleman will know that there are industrial representatives on the industrial training boards, which are concerned with management courses—of which there is a considerable increase—and there are the regional advisory committees and governing bodies of technical colleges. Within all these spheres, courses in business studies contain an element of management study, but up to now the main approach in undergraduate studies has been on a broad level of which management studies form a part, but not the whole of the course.