We work in partnership with other organisations, including the Association for Science Education (ASE) and the Department for Education and Skills (DfES), and represent the ETB on a number of strategic and high level working and steering groups; coalescing the STEM community and influencing the education, skills and innovation agenda.

European Commission's Review of the Single Market

June 2007

The ETB welcomed the opportunity to submit written evidence to the Internal Market Sub-Committee B of the House of Lords' inquiry into the European Commission’s Review of the Single Market.  The ETB confined comments to Section A -‘The current state of the Single Market’ and specifically detailing whether there should be a greater role for technology and research in facilitating the Single Market.  The ETB comments on research, Government's role in stimulating innovation, supercomputing, dual use technologies, stimulating new market growth and The Lisbon Agenda.

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Science and Society

January 2007

Last year the Conservative Party established an expert group to consider future policy for science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) in the context of improving the UK’s economic competitiveness. This included an assessment of public engagement with STEM and the accessibility and accountability of science and engineering, asking whether there is an anti-science culture, and whether this impacts on education in schools, colleges and universities as well as on business.

The ETB responded to this call for evidence, affirming that within certain sectors, including the media, there are negative perceptions of STEM. This misperception is backed by a number of reports, including DTI's 'Science and Society' Report (2005), as well as a number of reports commissioned by the ETB.

In our response we offer a number of recommendations to redress this, including the need to identify the key groups that need to be influenced, the change in perception(s) we wish to achieve, and the measures for success.  In addition to this our response makes a number of recommendations around curriculum and school practice that would need to be in place to ensure any STEM promotion were successful.

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Youth Matters

July 2005

On 18 July 2005 the Government published the Youth Green Paper, 'Youth Matters'. It addresses key issues relating to how we support and challenge our teenagers.

The ETB's response highlights concern with the proposals in section five ‘Supporting Choices: IAG’, specifically the decision to devolve IAG including careers advice to ‘Children’s Trusts’. We strongly urge the Government to reconsider devolving careers advice to ‘Children’s Trusts’.  There is an unquestionable need for a centralised data base that is supported by suitably competent professionals.

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The Leitch Review of Skills

May 2005

The Leitch Review of Skills was set up to report back to Government on what skills profile the UK should aim to achieve by 2020 in order to support productivity, economic growth as well as social objectives over the longer-term.

Key questions the Review addressed:
•   What is the current trajectory for the development of skills in the UK and therefore the likely profile of skills in 2020?
•   What will be the optimal skills mix in 2020?    

The ETB response concentrated on the need to focus on developing beyond the minimum level of skills, i.e. level 2 numeracy, literacy and ICT, and move rapidly towards implementing joined up funding streams that will allow, particularly within the STEM environment, for skills entitlement at level 3.  We believe this relies on the Government ensuring education, both vocational and academic, have the right tools to be able to deliver on the skills agenda and a proper understanding of the value of skills to individuals, organisations and to the social and economic development of the UK. 

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