A government prize that recognises emerging talent in the North East will be expanded to showcase even more achievements of young people and teachers.

Introduced by the Department for Education in 2012, in memory of former Education Secretary and Newcastle MP Ted Short, the Lord Glenamara prize currently shines a spotlight on gifted young people from across the North East, awarding them for achieving high grades and for giving back to their community.

Next year the prize will also recognise the talents of young people in technical education, individuals involved in careers education, and the hard work of those teaching the next generation.

Education Secretary Damian Hinds said:

The Lord Glenamara Prize has led the way since 2012 in recognising the young talent in the North East by giving national recognition to those who stand out from the crowd for making outstanding contributions to their communities.

The range of achievements of Prize winners over the years shows just how much potential there is in the North East and this exactly what our Opportunity North East programme is determined to unleash, to raise aspirations for young people across this exceptional region.

That is why from next year, we are extending the Prize to celebrate more young people, including those excelling in technical education, and teachers who are helping to tap into the talent and potential of young people.

The Prize currently celebrates students who are giving back to their local communities in the North East. This year’s winner, Stephanie Taylor, was praised by the Secretary of State for achieving top grades and playing a key role in her school’s Make Your Mark campaign, which highlighted the issue of body image and helped her fellow students gain access to support.

The new prizes will be awarded at the 2020 ceremony, which is set to be hosted by Durham University, with representatives from both Cambridge and Oxford university invited to attend to recognise talent in the North East.

Alan Houston, PVC (Education) of Durham University, said:

Durham University is delighted to be hosting the expanded Lord Glenamara Prize celebration event for 2020. Ted Short – Lord Glenamara – is a distinguished Durham alumni. We look forward to welcoming nominees from across the North East to an event early in the new year.

Dr Lindsey Whiterod CBE, Chief Executive of Tyne Coast College, and member of ONE Strategic Board:

We are delighted to hear the news that the Lord Glenamara prize is being extended to include students from a vocational and technical background. Significant prizes such as this give a tremendous boost to students and staff. Students and staff who are nominated are immensely proud to be considered for such a prestigious award.

Previous winners of the Lord Glenamara Prize include Mohammed Dagher, a student from Heaton Manor School in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, who was awarded the Prize in 2018 for his impressive voluntary work, including providing one-to-one support and guidance to younger students who speak English as an additional language, producing an anti-bullying video and volunteering at a disability centre.

The Prize underscores the Government’s commitment to boosting social mobility and raising aspirations for children in the North East through the Opportunity North East programme, which will help unlock the potential of young people in the North East of England.

Through this programme the Department for Education has committed to:

• improving transition of young people from primary school to secondary;
• supporting up to 30 secondary schools through our ONE Vision schools programme;
• ensuring schools recruit and retain great teachers and leaders;
• and ensuring more young people have world class careers advice and guidance and are able to progress to higher education, including the most selective institutions in the country.

Nominations for this year’s prizes will be opened early in the new school year, with the prize giving event taking place in the New Year. We are calling on all schools and colleges in the North East to encourage applications from all corners and communities of this great region.

Graduates in all regions of the country earn on average around 20% more than their peers who did not go to university, figures published for the first time have revealed today (18 July).

The Department for Education has published data showing graduate earnings and employment outcomes by region, as part of a drive to make more information available to help prospective students make their choices. The data show that graduates earn a median annual salary of £19,900 one year after graduating, £23,300 after three years, £26,000 after five, and £30,500 after ten years.

On average, by their mid-20s, graduates earn around 20% more than their peers living in the same region who achieved five A*-Cs at GCSE but did not go on to complete a degree-level qualification. The highest difference was for graduates in the South West, who earned 22.2% more than non-graduates, followed by the West Midlands with a 21.1% difference.

It also shows that just under half (49.6%) of students in the 2010/11 graduating cohort chose to study in their home region and of those who studied in a different region, nearly two-thirds (62.4%) were working in their home region five years after graduating.

Universities Minister Chris Skidmore said:

I am delighted to see graduates across the country are reaping the rewards of going to university through sustained employment and higher salaries, which in turn benefits their local economies.

Discussions about graduate outcomes and earnings should not simply focus on the major cities, so I hope this data will play a key role in highlighting the benefits and the potential that higher education can bring to graduates and regions in the whole country.

Of course, university is not just about earnings potential – it can produce wider cultural and social benefits. We know that higher education can play an important part in driving social mobility, so this will help our understanding of how university can benefit graduates in a way that is relevant to the region.

The aim of our social mobility programmes is to ensure that everyone, no matter their background, has the opportunity to reach their full potential through every stage – from the early years through to higher education.

The publication shows the full cycle of data – showing the region graduates were from, where they studied and where they work after graduation. It is part of the Department’s drive to improve transparency around higher education, ensuring that information about likely earnings, employability and teaching quality is easy to access for everyone going to university.

The Government is also investing in all parts of the UK, from the heart of England through the Midlands Engine to our Northern Powerhouse, to secure the Government’s vision for a country that works for everyone.

The OfS was set up to champion the interests of students and support graduate outcomes, and the Government introduced legislative reforms to improve access and successful participation for disadvantaged groups in higher education. Higher education institutions are currently submitting their plans for improving access and participation to the OfS to implement in 2020-21.

Transport Secretary Chris Grayling has today (Thursday 18 July 2019) launched a call for evidence on offsetting carbon emissions produced by transport.

Transport accounted for approximately one third of UK carbon dioxide emissions in 2018, and the government is inviting views on whether companies selling travel tickets including for flights, ferries, trains and coach travel should have to offer additional carbon offsets so that consumers can choose to compensate when they book.

Carbon Offsetting video

This call for evidence will seek more evidence on the public awareness of carbon emissions caused by transport journeys and the various options available to offset them.

Transport Secretary Chris Grayling said:

Climate change affects every one of us and we are committed to ensuring that transport plays its part in delivering net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.

An offsetting scheme could help inform travellers about how much carbon their journey produces and provide the opportunity to fund schemes, like tree planting, to compensate for those emissions.

However, our focus remains to target the development, production and uptake of zero emission technology across all modes of transport.

Carbon offsetting can enable individuals and organisations to compensate for the carbon emissions produced from their journeys, by paying for projects that reduce an equivalent amount of emissions. These emissions savings are generated through a wide variety of projects, which can range from planting trees to installing solar panels.

Among the issues the call for evidence will address are concerns that some consumers may not trust that their payments are supporting worthwhile, quality projects. It will also look at consumer awareness around the carbon emissions from different journey types, what carbon offsets are available or how they might offset the emissions from their journey.

The government also aims to set up a stronger and more attractive market for domestic carbon offsetting that will encourage more businesses to support cost-effective emission reductions.

In gaining valuable insights from the public and industry, the call for evidence aims to help consumers make more informed decisions by providing more information about the environmental impact of their travel options.

This is the latest move in the government’s drive to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from across the economy, including from the transport sector, following the Prime Minister’s historic commitment to make the UK the first major economy to legislate to end its contribution to global warming by 2050. With transport accounting for an increasingly large share of the UK’s greenhouse gas emissions, as emissions from other sectors are reduced, government has recognised the need to increase our ambition and step up the pace of progress.

That is why we have been developing our plans to drive down carbon emissions across transport, including in last year’s Road to Zero Strategy, our recently published Aviation Green Paper and Maritime 2050 strategy and Clean Maritime Plan. Later this year, we will also publish an ambitious Aviation Strategy which will map out our approach to ensure the sector plays its part in tackling climate change.

Colleagues across the House will be aware that towing safety is an issue of widespread interest and concern, particularly ahead of the key summer caravanning season. In that context, I am pleased to announce to the House the publication of a report into trailer safety. This sets out the government’s position as required by the Haulage Permits and Trailer Registration Act 2018.

This country has one of the best road safety records in the world, but every death and injury is a tragedy for the families involved. Ministerial colleagues and department officials have heard directly from families of those affected by fatal trailer incidents. I pay tribute to all those, including the parents of Freddie Hussey, and of Harry Christian-Allan, who have sought to improve trailer safety following such terrible bereavements. I also pay tribute to Members across the House, such as the Hon. Member for Bristol South, who have taken action in this area, such as the recently-convened All-Party Parliamentary Group on Trailer and Towing Safety.

This report has helped consolidate and develop the evidence base related to trailers. It is clear, including from roadside checks by the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) undertaken for this report, that many light trailers are used on public roads in a defective state. A focus must be maintained on driving up the safety of these trailers. However, only in a relatively few cases do vehicle defects contribute to serious incidents. Trailer-related incidents share some characteristics with the wider light vehicle fleet, including that human error is a far more prevalent reason for incidents. On the basis of the information set out in this report, the government is therefore not extending current vehicle testing or registration requirements in relation to trailers.

However, as the report highlights, there is further work in this area which the government will take forward. There is more information to consider and this report proposes some future steps, including additional trailer checks to be carried out by DVSA. This will build the evidence base further. A number of non-regulatory and other regulatory levers, including previous changes in driving licence entitlements now spreading through the motoring public, will also have an effect.

This report is an important milestone and is not itself an endpoint. I look forward to working together with all parties to ensure that momentum is maintained in this area, and that trailer safety continues to improve.

I work in Maritime & Coastguard Agency (MCA) as a vessel traffic management policy manager. As the name suggest, my job is to ensure that all vessels coming in and out of the UK are complying with the requirements of traffic routeing and vessel traffic services (VTS). This is to prevent ship collisions and groundings and as a result improving safety and environmental protection on the UK Coast.

VTS for ship is like air traffic control (ATC) for the aircraft. There are 25 VTS centres in and around the UK coast.

My job is to prepare long term policy for these. In my job, no two days are same. One day I am preparing a policy for VTS in Southampton, next day I’ll be carrying out an audit of a VTS operations centre somewhere in Scotland, third day I’ll be chairing a meeting of UK VTS stakeholders and fourth day I’ll be carrying out an audit on a VTS training organisation (the place where all VTS operators are trained). Similarly, one week I’ll be in the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) representing UK in the ship’s routeing experts working group in London whereas the next week I’m in the International Association for Marine Aids to Navigation and Lighthouse Authorities (IALA) representing MCA for VTS matters in Paris. It is a very interesting job with lot of stakeholder engagement. It also require technical knowledge of maritime industry.