Memorandum 29
Submission from the Education Sub-Committee
of the Geological Society of London
1. The Geological Society of London is concerned
about the proposal to remove funding altogether for Earth science
students studying for Equivalent or Lower Qualifications (ELQs).
2. The Earth sciences are central to many
aspects of modern life, including:
(a) sustainable development and extraction
of resources;
(b) meeting increased energy demands;
(c) developing a fuller understanding of
the causes and effects of climate change;
(d) protection and development of groundwater
resources;
(e) understanding and planning for new housing
and transport development; and
(f) dealing with waste disposal eg nuclear
waste.
3. Earth science has a low visibility in
relation to other sciences (eg Physics, Chemistry), and is declining
as a subject in Secondary schools. The country currently only
produces about 1,000 Earth science graduates per year, and the
number of universities offering undergraduate degree courses has
declined by over 30% in the past 20 years with an accompanying
reduction in the number of applicants. There is a large demand
for Earth science graduates in many areas that is not being satisfied
and the inexorable rise in commodity prices and environmental
issues will ensure that this demand will continue to increase.
There are already serious resulting skills shortages in key areas
such as hydrogeology, geophysics, resource extraction, engineering
geology and environmental geoscience that are unlikely to be met
in the short term by increased undergraduate recruitment and graduate
numbers.
4. The low visibility of Earth science in
schools means that interest in this subject is often kindled later
in life. An increasing number of people who are already qualified
in another field wish to re-train as Earth scientists. They will
be discouraged by the removal of funding for ELQs and the nation
will be denied the benefits of their accumulated skills. This
is a small, but increasingly important, problem to most universities.
It is, however, an extremely important one in institutions such
as the Open University and Birkbeck College, where considerable
numbers are retrained to provide enhancement and re-direction
of the nation's skills-base.
5. The Society urges those concerned in
the debate to review the proposal to remove ELQ funding from future
Earth science students, since this would potentially damage both
their future prospects and those of the UK economy.
January 2008
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