§ Mr. John Hallasked the Secretary of State for Air what help he gives to men and women serving in the Royal Air Force who wish to obtain professional qualifications; and what proposals he has for increasing such help.
Mr. WardApart from the theoretical instruction given on formal courses at technical and flying training units, the Royal Air Force General Education Scheme provides a wide variety of facilities for voluntary study. These include tuition at R.A.F. Stations, free attendance at local technical and educational institutions, short residential courses at universities, correspondence courses and library facilities.
About 85,000 officers, airmen and airwomen took advantage of these facilities during the academic year 1957–58. Over 8,000 were candidates at the Cambridge General Certificate of Education examinations at ordinary and advanced level; some 1,600 sat for examinations of professional and technical bodies (including the City and Guilds of London Institute, the Royal Society of Arts and London University); nearly 5,000 studied by means of Forces' and external correspondence courses at nominal expense; and 11,000 attended courses at universities or local institutes with complete or partial refund of fees and travelling expenses.
In the more specialised field, the General Education Scheme and the technological courses provided in Technical Training Command produced more than 750 candidates for Ordinary National Certificates and over 300 for Higher National Certificates or endorsements, while many officers and 850 apprentices were pursuing courses of full-time training recognised by the Institutions as leading to professional qualifications.
Although we have no major change in mind, we take every opportunity of extending these facilities and keeping them up to date.