The government has pledged to prioritise the teaching science
and technology in UK universities as part of its higher education
strategy.
The Higher Ambitions strategy , unveiled by Lord Mandelson, sets
out to ensure that universities provide high-class skills needed by
employers and widen access to research.
The plan calls for businesses to play a greater role in funding
and designing courses and to sponsor students and work placements,
in a move that aims to tackle the mismatch between supply of skills
from universities and demand from employers.
New forms of degree will allow students to learn part time or
study from work and from home, opening up higher education to a
greater range of people, said Mandelson.
"The government also wants universities to make an even bigger
contribution to Britain's economic recovery and future growth," he
told the Lords.
"We have therefore decided to give greater priority to
programmes that meet the need for high-level skills, especially in
key areas such as science, technology, engineering and maths."
The strategy was welcomed by E-Skills UK, the public private
sector partnership responsible for IT skills.
CEO Karen Price said, "This is really important for the UK as IT
underpins the productivity and competitiveness of every business
and we are facing a catastrophic mismatch in supply and
demand."
Key measures
• More competition between universities, giving greater priority
to programmes that meet the need for high-level skills.
• Business to be more engaged in the funding and design of
programmes, sponsorship of students, and work placements.
• Creating more part-time, work-based and foundation degrees to
make it easier for adults to go to university, with routes from
apprenticeships through to foundation degrees and other vocational
programmes.
• Universities setting out clearly what students can expect in
terms of the nature and quality of courses offered.
• Sustaining world-class research base by continuing to focus on
excellence, concentrating research funding where needed to secure
critical mass and impact.
• Encouraging collaboration between universities on world class
research, especially in high-cost science.