On Tuesday 19th July, Jo Churchill MP spoke in the second reading debate of the Higher Education and Research Bill in the House of Commons. Brought forward by the Minister for Universities and Science, Jo Johnson MP, the Bill intends to introduce a range of measures including: increasing competition and choice within the higher education sector, raising standards and, through universities and higher education, strengthening the UK research and innovation.
Emanating from the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills, the Bill’s primary aims are to deliver a new body, the Office for Students, to act as a regulator and funding body for the sector. This will bring forward a new Teaching and Excellence Framework to allow for teaching to be as important as research. Furthermore, with regards to research, the Bill intends to make changes to research infrastructure by again creating a new body, UK Research and Innovation incorporating research councils and established bodies.
In the debate, Jo Churchill highlighted the research and higher education sector in East Anglia and her constituency of Bury St Edmunds and its innovation in delivering higher education learning.
“The University of Suffolk, which has a campus in my constituency, has a member of the LEP and the local authority on the board. We need to encourage that sort of thing rather than making collaboration mandatory. They talk to further education providers, schools and businesses about how to fill the gaps in IT and engineering and to boost productivity, looking at nuclear power, farming, health and care. That is what I want the Bill to support.”
Speaking in the debate, Jo Churchill MP also highlighted the essential co-dependent relationship between businesses and universities and the need to drive this forward.
“Businesses want skills, but in order to build them up they must communicate more with the higher and further education sectors. They are playing an increasingly important part in our university institutions…Such relationships are already in place and the Bill builds on them, makes them more transparent and develops the connection between further and higher education business”.
Speaking after the debate, Jo Churchill said: “It was a great opportunity to speak in the debate and to ‘bang the drum’ for the new University Campus Suffolk as well as our excellent higher education providers across East Anglia. I see the amazing work of these institutions and the innovation they deliver from collaboration with businesses. It is this we need to support. I look forward to sitting on this Bill when the House returns in September”.
