asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether there is a shortage or a surplus of British graduates qualified in power electronics and microprocessing techniques, relative to the needs of industry; and what has been the shortage or surplus for each of the last five years.
There is no precise way of defining, the needs of industry for particular types of graduate engineer in areas relevant to the new technologies. However, the first report of the committee on IT skill shortages, chaired by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Department of Trade and Industry, my hon. Friend the Member for Coventry, South West (Mr. Butcher). concluded that the employment market could readily absorb a greater number of graduates from disciplines relevant to the new technologies. Significant increases in such disciplines are currently taking place through the Government's IT in higher education initiative and the engineering and technology programme.