Government eases loan access for STEM subjects
The UK government has announced a change in its Equivalent or Lower Qualification (ELQ) policy, opening the door for people to retrain in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) subjects.
From September, Tuition Fee Loans for STEM courses will be now available to students in England that already have a higher-level qualification, helping those already in the workforce or with non-STEM degrees to upskill. The policy change is an important step towards closing the engineering skills gap that has developed over the past number of years, according to The Open University.
“This move by the government to help close the STEM skills gap is a positive step in the right direction,” said Jan Kowal, programme director for Design and Engineering at The Open University.
“There are countless recent surveys and reports which point to a skills gap in the engineering sector, and there is a desperate need for people with the correct skills and training – a combination of technical specialisms and soft skills, to be placed in UK businesses to keep our economy going strong.”
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