§ Mr. BoswellTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what plans he has to(a) support and (b) encourage links between higher education and business. [134290]
§ Mr. WicksThe Government plan to support and encourage higher education-business links through the establishment of a continuing stream of funding for institutions' work with business and the community. The Higher Education Funding Council for England has already allocated £82.16 million (including a contribution from DTI) for projects running until 2004 under the Higher Education Reach-Out to Business and the Community Fund. This fund will be incorporated into a new Higher Education Innovation Fund from the next financial year, which will also include an additional £80 million over three years from the Office for Science and Technology.
We also support activities to enable and encourage HE-business interaction to enhance the work-readiness of graduates. Higher education institutions are involving employers in the development of the new foundation degrees that are designed to meet the skills gap at the higher technician and associate professional level. We are also working with higher education institutions and National Training Organisations to develop Graduate Apprenticeships as a means of equipping graduates with an honours degree or higher-level qualification for work in specific employment sectors.