§ Mr. Watkinsonasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science (1) how many students are presently pursuing courses leading to a qualification in industrial management in polytechnics and colleges of further education;
(2) what encouragement her Department is giving in extending industrial management qualifications in polytechnics and colleges of further education;
(3) how many polytechnics and colleges of further education offer courses leading to a qualification in industrial management.
§ Mr. OakesMy Department is actively involved in promoting the development of management education in all its forms in polytechnics and further education colleges, following on from the initiative taken some years ago to designate 12 regional management centres to coordinate management education on a regional basis. That policy has produced substantial expansion in recent years, encourages the wise use of resources and cross-fertilisation between the many institutions, employers and other interests involved.
Management education provides a wide range of well-established courses, from supervisors' certificate programmes to post-graduate level, and responds to the expressed needs of industry and students by providing programmes to meet that demand. The opportunities available vary greatly in content, format and attendance patterns. Statistics are collected on a census basis, and therefore do not cover the whole field—for example, short full-time intensive courses. Nor do they readily identify those in industrial management and their flow through the institutions offering management education.