[Katy Clark in the Chair] — Manufacturing and Engineering

Part of the debate – in Westminster Hall at 9:30 am on 6 March 2012.

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Photo of Neil Carmichael Neil Carmichael Conservative, Stroud 9:30, 6 March 2012

I thank my hon. Friend for his correction about the name of his seat. I was slightly confused about it, because I know it is getting a new name in the boundary review, and I was discussing that with him yesterday. I apologise for my misunderstanding.

My hon. Friend is right. The UTCs are important. I fully support that initiative and I know that Lord Baker has been pivotal—as, indeed, has Lord Adonis—in supporting those projects. We want more of them. In my constituency, I have been vigorously promoting the engineering centre in Stroud college. Funnily enough, there is another link there with the constituency of my hon. Friend the Member for Filton and Bradley Stoke, because the college has merged with the one in Filton—and quite right too, because is a good strategic alliance. The point I want to make is that it is necessary for engineering to be promoted in organisations, including colleges.