Memorandum 82
Submission from the Campaign for Science
& Engineering
1. The Campaign for Science & Engineering
(CaSE) is pleased to submit written evidence to the Innovation,
University and Skills Committee. CaSE is a voluntary organisation
campaigning to improve the health of science and engineering in
the UK. It is supported by over 1,200 individual members, and
some 70 institutional members, including universities, learned
societies and companies.
2. CaSE strongly supports the need to continue
public funding for students studying science, technology, engineering
and mathematics (STEM) subjects as an equivalent or lower qualification
(ELQ). If the proposal to withdraw funding for ELQs is implemented,
CaSE believes that all STEM subjects should be made exempt from
it.
3. The current HEFCE proposal is to give
an additional allocation of funding to support students studying
strategic and vulnerable subjects (SIVS), which includes STEM
subjects. Although CaSE supports the recognition that STEM subjects
should be protected from any withdrawal of funding for ELQs, it
is concerned about how the additional funding allocation will
work in practice. The additional allocation needs to appropriately
compensate institutions for increasing the uptake up of STEM subjects
as ELQs. It is also critical that all science, technology, engineering
and mathematics subjects are classified as strategic and vulnerable
subjects (SIVS) for allocating funding for ELQs. The proposal
for protecting SIVS will be reviewed in 2010-11. It is important
that HEFCE and the government make clear that STEM subjects will
be protected past this date so that students and institutions
can plan for the future.
4. STEM subjects are recognised by government,
industry and society as critically important to the future of
the UK. CaSE encourages the Committee to clarify how any proposed
changes to ELQ funding would protect students who wish to study
STEM subjects. CaSE believes this would be best achieved by making
all STEM subjects exempt from any withdrawal of funding for ELQs.
January 2008
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