Written question asked by Julian Lewis (Conservative) on Tuesday, 31 October 2000, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Tuesday, 7 November 2000. It was answered by Malcolm Wicks (Labour) on Tuesday, 7 November 2000 on behalf of the Department for Education and Employment.

Dept for Education and Employment

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment, what assessment his Department has made of the effect of the reclassification of the former polytechnics as universities on (a) academic standards and (b) vocational training.

Answer: Dr. Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what assessment his Department has made of the effect of the reclassification of the former polytechnics as universities on (a) academic standards and (b) vocational training. [136260] Mr. Wicks: The Department has made no assessment relating to the reclassification of the former polytechnics. The Department is not aware of any adverse effect on the academic standards or vocational courses and training available. The Secretary of State called for diversity across the whole spectrum of higher education at his landmark speech at Greenwich earlier this year. The introduction of foundation degrees is an indication of the importance of vocational qualifications. The Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA) carries out reviews of the effectiveness of institutional arrangements for the management of the quality and standards of academic provision in all higher education institutions that receive public funding from the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE). Individual reports are published by the QAA for the assessments it carries out.

Secondary information