§ Dr. GibsonTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what plans she has to include university interaction with the community when assessing the allocation of resources to universities. [19459]
§ Margaret HodgeThe higher education reach-out to business and the community fund and its successor, the higher education innovation fund, have given higher education institutions (HEIs) the opportunity to apply for funding for interaction with the community.
83WFurthermore, the higher education active community fund of £27 million will be distributed over three years to HEIs to support volunteering among students and staff. Volunteering helps HEIs to build bridges with their communities; it helps students to gain workplace experience and staff to develop their careers; and it helps voluntary sector organisations gain access to higher level skills and knowledge. The HE active community fund will assist in the creation of 14,000 new volunteering opportunities for HE students and staff.
Additionally, higher education institutions are receiving £57 million of widening participation funding over three years from the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) as part of the Government's excellence challenge policy. This money helps institutions to reach out to more young people from communities who do not have a tradition of entering higher education.