§ Mr. Nicholas Wintertonasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will make a statement on the measures being employed by the present Government to foster, maintain and improve the links between grammar and comprehensive schools and industry in the United Kingdom ; and what, if any, further measures are to be introduced in the near future.
Mr. MaofarianeThe Government have been encouraging the development of school-industry links since taking office and will continue to do so. Particular attention has been given to this matter in the DES/Welsh Office proposals for "A Framework for the School Curriculum" and in the current consultations on that document. Advice to local education authorities to be issued in the light of those consultations is likely further to emphasise the importance of developing such links. My department will be giving further prominence to this area through 10 regional meetings chaired by Ministers with local representatives of both education and industry commencing this autumn, which will be concerned with the relevance and implications of current educational policies to working life. In addition, I have had discussions with the CBI and ABCC on these matters, and my Department is associated in various ways with other interests and agencies working in this field, notably the Schools Council, the Standing Conference on Schools Science and Technology and science and technology regional organisations. Understanding British Industry,
434WProject Trident, the Industrial Society, Young Enterprise, Understanding Industry and the engineering institutions.