Quick summary of today’s CSR
The government will protect the £4.7 billion science budget in real terms over the Parliament.
Engineering mentions:
Support will be provided to secure launch funding to create a new university in Hereford focused on engineering in 2016
Committing £18 million to the Excellence in Precision Agriculture Innovation Centre, which will be partly headquartered in Shropshire. This will be 1 of 4 agri-tech
centres, which will develop new engineering technologies to increase the productivity and sustainability of UK agriculture
Adult skills:
The government will protect funding for the core adult skills participation budgets in cash terms, at £1.5 billion.
HE:
HE maintenance grants will be switched to loans
The government will provide funding for a real terms protection for the overall budget for STEM subjects in higher education.
For all STEM subjects, tuition loans will be extended to students wishing to do a second degree from 2017-18.
The government will provide new financial support through maintenance loans for part time HE students, tuition fee loans for higher level skills in Further Education and new loans for postgraduate Master’s degrees
Apprenticeships:
By 2019-20 government spend on apprenticeships, including income from the new apprenticeship levy, will be double the level of spending in 2010-11 in cash terms.