§ 39. Sir David Priceasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what steps he is taking to ensure that the British educational system meets better the needs of British industry.
§ Mr. MacfarlaneSubstantial attention has already been given to this matter. My Department is currently giving it particular prominence through a series of regional meetings, chaired by Ministers with representatives of both education and industry, which are concerned with the relevance and implications of current educational policies to working life. The first two of these meetings were held at Birmingham on 20 October and at Newcastle on 19 November respectively, and eight further meetings are planned over the coming months. In addition, I have had discussions on the matter with a number of representative bodies, including the CBI and the ABCC, and my Department is associated in various ways with many other interests and agencies working in this field—notably the Department of Industry, the Schools Council, the Standing Conference on Schools Science and Technology, Understanding British Industry, Project Trident, the Industrial Society, the engineering institutions, and industrial training boards.