CONTENTS

politics first | Corridors
The objectives ahead of the reformed
Education Select Committee
Neil Carmichael, Chair of the Education Select Committee
and Conservative MP for Stroud
The momentous decision which our country reached
this June, by a decisive, but narrow margin, to leave
the European Union, has upended many certainties in
political life overnight.
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The new Prime Minister, Theresa
May, swiftly and decisively formed a
new government. It differs markedly in
terms of personnel and structure from the
government of David Cameron. It is not
unusual for changes to be made – look back
to recent but similar transitions where James
Callaghan, John Major and Gordon Brown
all put their own stamp on the government
of the day – but the scale of change this
time has more than raised eyebrows.
One obvious reason for that is the result
of the recent referendum. Brexit represents
a massive change of policy direction and
therefore requires new approaches. Two
new departments have been created to
deliver the decision to leave the EU: the
Department for Exiting the EU – charged
with the task of dealing with the huge
complexities associated with over 43 years
of membership – and the Department of
International Trade, necessary to negotiate
new free trade agreements.
But other departments have also been
reshaped. The Department of Education is
a case in point. Four years ago, I proposed
a reform of it to provide for all levels of
education to be covered by one department.
That has now happened so the Education
Select Committee, which I chair, now covers
early years to universities and beyond. And
that is not unrelated to the EU because our
departure from it will bring new urgency
to the challenge about how we equip
our young people with the skills the UK
needs to survive and prosper in the world.
A challenge we struggled with both before,
during and now after our membership of
the EU. Government and business, alike,
will surely have to learn to rely less on
foreign workers to plug existing skills gaps
and much more on upskilling our own
population.
I foreshadowed that development by
helping to create the joint-committee
on productivity, formed from parts of the
Education committee and the Business,
Innovation and Skills committee. The
committee has already produced a report on
careers advice (where advice for our young
people continues to be disjointed and
woeful) and it is working on other projects
but might, itself, be rejigged following
the consequential changes of the Prime
Minister’s reshuffle.
I spoke at many universities across the
country during the referendum campaign.
As we now know, 73 per cent of 18 – 24 year
old’s voted to Remain. The opportunities to
work, study and travel across the breadth
of the enlarged EU are huge achievements
which only this generation have known –
and ones that the students and young often
cited for our continued membership of a
reformed EU. They are rightly concerned
about what their future now holds.
Over 200,000 students and 20,000
staff have benefitted from study abroad
through ERASMUS work and study
placements – which is the biggest
source of funding for study abroad.
In fact, it has been a UK Government priority
to increase the numbers of UK students
gaining international experience, and
students who have pursued such experience
have been shown to be more likely to start
their own business, driving the skilled
employment and increased productivity
of the UK economy that we need to see
to succeed in the global marketplace.
Likewise, EU students studying in the UK
are estimated to contribute over £2 billion to
the UK economy and support 19,000 British
jobs in the local communities. Maintaining
those links and opportunities is going to be
of huge importance for a Brexit Britain.
None of us should want to see a return
to the divided Europe before 1989 – 1990.
That is neither in the interests of the EU or
of a Brexit Britain which wants to continue to
make its way in the world.
Adjusting to Brexit represents a huge
challenge for our universities – and, indeed,
all institutions in 16 – 19 Education. The
Education Select Committee’s work over
the next year is to work with universities and
further education colleges to ensure that
they can continue to turn out the properly
educated people our industries will require
in order to compete in this new world that
they will face.