§ Mr. Dalyellasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what factors have caused the decline in numbers of engineering and technology students studying for Higher National Certificate and other advanced courses from 78,847 in 1963 to 71,956 in 1966; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mrs. Shirley WilliamsThe figures are not comparable in that the figure for 1966 does not include enrolments on relevant engineering and technology courses at the former colleges of advanced technology. If adjustment is made for this, the total following such courses in all the institutions concerned in 1966 was 84,131, or some five thousand more than in 1963.
Within this increased total, enrolments for Higher National Certificate courses have declined. This is due partly to the reorganisation of technician courses which followed the 1961 White Paper Better Opportunities for Technical Education, and partly to changes in the academic requirements of the professional institutions in membership of the Council of Engineering Institutions. The chief reason, however, is the great expansion in the opportunities open to young people to follow full-time or sandwich courses of higher education in engineering and technology. This is reflected in the considerable increase during the period in enrolments on relevant first degree and Higher National Diploma courses.