§ Mrs. Renee Shortasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will supplement the financing of universities and polytechnics in the West Midlands county to enable them to increase their involvement in post-experience courses for adults.
§ Sir Keith JosephThe Department is already providing considerable support for the expansion of post-experience courses for adults in the west midlands through the professional, industrial and commercial updating programme (PICKUP). Eighty-two thousand pounds has been committed to the support of the Coventry consortium—a network of further and higher education institutions working in partnership with local employers on the design and provision of post-experience updating and retraining for adults. A further project supported by a grant of £50,000 involves Aston university and other institutions collaborating with local industry and commerce for the provision of foreign language and marketing training.
Within a new PICKUP initiative developing the capability of universities to provide post-exerience courses, support in principle has been given to proposals from Birmingham and Aston universities. Other projects within the scope of the PICKUP programme have also been approved for the west midlands, including a further development at Aston university on information technology updating via tutor-supported video courses. Other projects are also under consideration.