Karl McCartney

By Karl McCartney Karlmccartney

I am determined that no-one with the ambition and ability, whatever their background, should come up against barriers to accessing higher education. That is why I am pleased the Government took the tough decision to base university funding on student fees and loans rather than simply face cuts which would have led to reduced student numbers.

Crucially, the new system is a more progressive one. Students will not face any upfront fees, graduates will only pay back their loans once they earn more than £21,000 and monthly repayments will be lower than under the old system. The new system will also do more for those from poorer backgrounds. Maintenance grants and loans will increase and the Government is introducing a new £150 million National Scholarship Programme and institutions will be held to account in fulfilling their outreach and retention obligations.

UCAS figures for the 2013 application cycle show a 3% increase year-on-year. Among 18-year olds, the application rate has risen by 1% to 34.8 per cent, the second highest on record. Importantly, the number of disadvantaged 18-year olds has risen to 19.5%, the highest on record.

Reforms put students at the heart of the higher education system. Institutions will be more accountable to learners and prospective students now have access to a Key Information Set. This includes comparable data on the learning experience, employment outcomes and student satisfaction at different courses and different institutions.

Our Higher Education institutions, such as the University of Lincoln and Bishop Grosseteste University, are world class and under the new system universities will receive around 10% more resources in cash terms. However, while the excellent reputation of our universities reflects the top quality research output, the Government is now putting teaching in the spotlight as well. This is in the interests of students, universities and employers.

The Government will evaluate the new financing system, access to higher education and improvements to information to ensure the system delivers the best our students. In doing so, the Government has my whole-hearted support.

Karl McCartney was the Conservative Lincoln MP between 2010 and 2017. He is now the Conservative candidate for the city for the next general elections.

By Karl McCartney Karlmccartney

I am pleased to inform readers that apprenticeships form a vital part of this Government’s plans for economic growth and education reforms to give opportunities to more young people and I am proud of the Government’s record in delivering the biggest boost ever to apprenticeships.

I have therefore welcomed recent statistics that show a record number of people in Lincoln started apprenticeships in 2011/12. The data also has provisional results for the number of apprenticeship starts in the first quarter of 2012/13 – in August to October 2012, 420 people started apprenticeships in just three months. In the last financial year, 1340 people started an apprenticeship in Lincoln – an increase of 86 per cent compared to the last year of the Labour Government.

The number of people starting apprenticeships nationally also continues to increase. Over half a million people started an apprenticeship in 2011/12 which was an increase of 13.9% on the preceding year and 86.1% since 2009/10. I believe that hitting this half-million mark is a tremendous achievement and reaffirms that the Conservative-led Government values the vocational and academic route equally.

I am particularly encouraged by the strong increase in higher apprenticeships which increased by 67.6% and within the engineering sector starts are up 21.5% to 59,480. This is excellent news, particularly given the shortage of engineering skills we currently face.

You will be interested to know that in July 2011 the Conservative-led Government introduced the £25 million Higher Apprenticeship Fund, which has resulted in 29 projects set to create 20,000 places over the next three years in careers such as engineering, law and accountancy.

Of course, apprenticeships must be of a high quality, rigorous and focused on what employers need. That is why apprenticeships must now last at least 12 months and, through the Employer Ownership Pilot, employers are getting a greater say over vocational training and the opportunity to take ownership of the skills agenda for their industry or sector.

The Conservative-led Government encourages businesses to take on apprentices by providing incentive payments of up to £1,500 for small firms to take on young apprentices and continues to work with those people that small businesses look to for advice to promote apprenticeships for their customers.

In short, the increase in apprenticeships – both in Lincoln and around our Country – is very much welcome and shows that the Government’s commitment to the vocational route is paying off.

Karl McCartney was the Conservative Lincoln MP between 2010 and 2017. He is now the Conservative candidate for the city for the next general elections.