Ed tech News
29 July 2026
Commenting on the Prime Minister's announcement on technical education, James Partington, Director of Engineering Policy and Impact at the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, said:
“The Prime Minister's commitment to embed technical learning into education from age 14 is a significant step towards building the engineering workforce the UK needs. As demand for engineers grows to deliver the Industrial Strategy, young people must have clear, high-quality technical pathways alongside academic routes.Success will depend on getting the whole system right. That means recognising apprenticeships alongside higher education in destination measures, improving teachers' understanding of technical careers and routes, simplifying the technical education landscape, and ensuring greater consistency across the devolved administrations.As the professional home of mechanical engineering, the Institution stands ready to provide independent engineering expertise to help shape and deliver these reforms.”Related reading
The National Centre for Universities and Business (NCUB), responding to the recently announced UK Scale-up Fund
Welcoming the announcement that a consortium of major UK pension providers will explore establishing a proposed £1 billion UK Scale-up Fund to invest in high-growth UK science and technology companies, Dr Joe Marshall, Chief Executive of the National Centre for Universities and Business (NCUB), said:“The UK has made a concerted effort over many years to strengthen its scale-up environment. The £1 billion ambition is a welcome next step and demonstrates what becomes possible when successive governments, funders, universities, businesses, pension providers and investors pull in the same direction behind a shared national goal.Andy Burnham is right that enabling innovative companies to start, scale and remain in the UK is fundamental to reindustrialising the country. The impact could be particularly significant in places that have lost major employers and historic industries, where growing the next generation of successful businesses, alongside attracting and retaining established firms, will be an important part of rebuilding a strong and diverse business base.”If delivered at the scale envisaged, the fund could help unlock the growth capital that science and technology businesses – including university spinouts – need to commercialise cutting-edge research, attract investment, create high-skilled jobs and compete globally.Dr Marshall continues:"Success will depend on connecting long-term investment with the UK's outstanding research and innovation strengths. No single institution can achieve that alone. Universities, businesses, investors and government all have a role to play in building a stronger scale-up ecosystem that turns British discoveries into British success stories. This announcement is an encouraging step in that direction."About the NCUBThe National Centre for Universities and Business (NCUB) represents a collective voice of leaders across higher education and business and aims to tackle issues of shared interest. The NCUB is an independent and not-for-profit membership organisation that promotes, develops and supports university-business collaboration across the UK. The organisation was originally established in 1986, and NCUB was formed in 2013.
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