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Written Question
Nuclear Power: Vocational Education
Tuesday 20th July 2021

Asked by: Virginia Crosbie (Conservative - Ynys Môn)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans his Department has to encourage schools and UK universities to promote nuclear science as a career path for apprentices and graduates.

Answered by Gillian Keegan - Secretary of State for Education

My right hon. Friend, the Prime Minister, has made it clear that science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) subjects are of great importance.

We want to ensure that everyone has the opportunity to pursue a STEM career, regardless of their background. To support this, we have made substantial spending commitments on programmes to enhance STEM teaching and participation in schools, through programmes such as Isaac Physics and Science Learning Partnerships. Isaac Physics is an online learning platform designed to increase the number of students studying physics, with a particular focus on those from disadvantaged backgrounds, and Science Learning Partnerships is a national network supporting teacher continuing professional development.

The department recognises that careers education has a crucial role to play in inspiring pupils towards STEM careers, including those in the nuclear industry. Secondary schools are expected to provide pupils with at least one interaction with employers per year, with a particular emphasis on STEM employers. These interactions demonstrate the range of different career possibilities in STEM and challenge stereotypes. Furthermore, the Careers and Enterprise Company (CEC) is making sure that every young person has access to inspiring encounters with the world of work, including work placements, work experience and other employer-based activities. The CEC encourage use of labour market information to identify which sectors are growing and promote sector-based campaigns through their networks.

This government has also been working to champion the diversity of roles and people that make up the STEM sector in order to remove pupils’ misconceptions around working in STEM. Through continuing to fund the STEM ambassador programme, we are ensuring that extracurricular activities related to STEM are delivered by volunteers representative of the local population so that young people can be inspired by people they relate to. We have also recently funded and published Behavioural Insights Trials, with a cohort of 11,000 students, to better understand the low participation of girls in STEM.

We have also been improving our offer of apprenticeships so that anybody, regardless of their background, has the opportunity to pursue STEM careers whether they come via a technical or academic route. There are now 625 high-quality apprenticeship standards to choose from that have been designed by employers to meet their skills needs. Employers in the nuclear science sector can take advantage of standards in a number of occupational routes. Available standards include level 2 Nuclear Operative, level 5 Nuclear Technician and level 6 Nuclear Reactor Desk Engineer.

The institutional autonomy of universities is protected by law, meaning that what they include in their course content and careers programmes is at their discretion. Through the National Careers Service, anyone can access independent, professional advice on careers, skills and the labour market. Employers and professional bodies in the nuclear science sector can sign up to the ‘Inspiring the Future’ programme, which allows volunteers to visit state schools to talk to pupils about their job. This will raise the profile of various careers within nuclear science.


Written Question
Turing Scheme: Educational Exchanges
Monday 26th April 2021

Asked by: Virginia Crosbie (Conservative - Ynys Môn)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of the UK becoming an e-Twinning country as part of the Turing Scheme in order to benefit (a) pupils aged 3-19 years in educational collaborations with similar aged children abroad and (b) teachers' continuous professional development.

Answered by Michelle Donelan - Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology

The government has decided that it is not in the UK's interests to seek continued participation in the Erasmus+ programme. eTwinning is an EU initiative which is part of the Erasmus+ programme, so as a result our participation in eTwinning has also ended. There are currently no plans for the UK to join eTwinning in the future.

The new Turing Scheme will provide funding for school pupils to participate in international placements and exchanges, and the scheme is currently open for schools to apply. The scheme is not a like-for-like replacement of Erasmus+, and does not replicate the eTwinning online platform, but is focused on providing funding for school pupils to benefit from going overseas. We want to give as many pupils as possible the opportunity to travel abroad to experience different cultures, improve language skills and build independence, character, and resilience. The Turing Scheme offers guidance for schools on how to establish international partnerships, including through the British Council Schools Partner Finder. These partnerships also offer teachers the chance to share experiences and best practice with colleagues in other countries.


Written Question
Outdoor Education: Coronavirus
Tuesday 17th November 2020

Asked by: Virginia Crosbie (Conservative - Ynys Môn)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he is taking to support outdoor education centres at risk of permanent closure as a result of the covid-19 outbreak.

Answered by Nick Gibb

The Department’s advice on educational visits can be viewed at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/actions-for-schools-during-the-coronavirus-outbreak/guidance-for-full-opening-schools. This guidance is in line with guidance from Public Health England, the Cabinet Office and the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office; it is currently under review and the findings will be available at the end of November.

The Government has introduced an unprecedented and comprehensive package of support to help as many individuals and businesses as possible during this difficult period. This includes small business grants, coronavirus loan guarantee schemes, the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) and the deferral of VAT and income tax payments. The measures introduced have been designed to be accessible to businesses in most sectors and across the UK.

Further measures have been announced by my right hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, that build on the significant support already available and set out how current support will evolve and adapt. This includes the extension of the CJRS until the end of March 2021 and the introduction of the Local Restrictions Support Grant, which will provide grants of up to £1,500 for each 3-week period that a business is closed following the implementation of localised restrictions and business closures.

The Government will continue to work closely with local authorities, businesses, business representative organisations and the financial services sector to monitor the implementation of current support and understand whether there is additional need. Businesses can also access tailored advice through our Business Support Helpline, online via the business support website or through their local growth hubs in England.