§ 4. Mr. Keith Darvill (Upminster)If he will make a statement on foundation degrees. [127923]
§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Education and Employment (Mr. Malcolm Wicks)Foundation degrees will offer a new vocationally focused route into higher education and employment. They will equip students with the specialist technical knowledge and employability skills needed in our new economy and contribute to wider participation by attracting many people who do not enter higher education.
§ Mr. DarvillI am grateful for that reply. Does my hon. Friend agree that foundation degrees provide an excellent opportunity to link higher education and employers more effectively so that we can meet the new high levels of skills needs? Does he agree also that it is typical of the Opposition's contempt for vocational learning that they oppose foundation degrees?
§ Mr. WicksOne of the great challenges for the Government is achieving a better interface and overlap between the academic and the vocational. The foundation degree is part of that strategy. The skills taskforce has told us that we are short of people at associate professional and technician level. The foundation degree will be an attractive route for many people, some of whom will have completed modern apprenticeships to get into university.
§ Mr. Phil Willis (Harrogate and Knaresborough)We strongly support the foundation degree principle and its vocational basis. There is a niche in the market for such a degree. However, there is an inconsistency in the Government's thinking, in that the funding will be provided by the Higher Education Funding Council rather 408 than the Learning and Skills Council. Is it not a slight on our further education colleges that they cannot bid directly to run foundation degrees, which would form part of their core market? The ability to bid directly would be preferable to depending on crumbs from the rich man's table to deliver the programmes. When the Minister and the Secretary of State attend the festival in Birmingham today, will they review the position and try to ensure that there is a seamless progression between further education and higher education, to avoid creating needless barriers?
§ Mr. WicksAs the hon. Gentleman knows, many further education institutions provide higher education through partnerships with universities. We expect them to play a role in future. The hon. Gentleman also knows that we are keen to establish close links between the university sector nationally and the new Learning and Skills Council. We shall do that. Even more importantly, we need to build on relationships between universities and the wider community. That means close links with local learning and skills councils.