§ Mr. JenkinsTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what plans she has to make engineering more attractive as a career to students. [63664]
§ Alan JohnsonThe Department supports a number of activities that are intended to encourage the young to appreciate the benefits of careers within the engineering sector. The individual programmes are as follows:
Through SETNET, the Science, Engineering, Technology and Maths Network, DTI supports the 53 SETPoints across the UK with delivery into schools of activities intended to enhance the curricula. Each SETPoint is in the second year of a three-year Business Plan through which they will ensure that every child under 16 has the opportunity at least once in each Key Stage, or the equivalent, to participate in an appropriate activity. This is bolstered by our support for the Science Engineering Ambassadors (SEAs) programme, which encourages people working in STEM based careers to pass on their experiences to those in school.
890WThe Department is also supporting the Engineering Technology Board one of whose core aims is to reverse the downward trend of people, including students, with appropriate qualifications and skills taking up Engineering and Technology based careers.
In addition, there are a number of smaller programmes, which the Government support. These include:
- The WISE (Women in Science and Engineering) Programme which aims to encourage more women to enter these fields;
- Work being done by Forum for the Future to link engineering sector with sustainable development;
- Part of our grant in aid to the Royal Academy of Engineering is used to support a range of educational programmes, collectively known as BEST;
- The Engineering and Physical Research Council (EPSRC) funds a large schools programme, which is aimed, in part, to future engineers;
- The Copus grant scheme aims to make engineering more attractive as a career to students funded by the Office of Science and Technology and the Royal Society; and
- A number of programmes aimed at encouraging engineering in specific sectors.
Total funding is approximately £10,500,000 per annum.