What is the government’s new Turing Scheme?

Britain will no longer be part of the Erasmus Scheme. However, students and professors need not fear, for the government has announced that it will commit £100 million to a replacement mobility scheme named Turing.

The scheme, which is named after famed British mathematician and code breaker Alan Turing is expected to enable 35,000 students to spend time abroad and will be launched in September, 2021.

 On December 26th, shortly after the EU-UK trade deal was agreed, Education Secretary Gavin Williamson announced that. “We have designed a truly international scheme which is focused on our priorities, delivers real value for money and forms an important part of our promise to level up the United Kingdom.”

According to the government’s own press release on the matter, the new scheme will target students from disadvantaged backgrounds and areas which did not previously have many students benefiting from Erasmus +, this will, it is argued, make life changing opportunities more accessible to everyone from across the country.

Outside of following a similar course as the Erasmus + programme in terms of which countries it offers as options for students to study and work abroad in, it will also include countries elsewhere in the world, to ensure greater value for money for taxpayers.

The government believes that the UK will reap the rewards from the investment through the boosting of students’ skills and prospects which they argue will benefit UK employers, alongside supporting ‘Global Britain’s’ ties to international partners.

Early indications suggest that the scheme will be open to schools, colleges and universities, with all organisations being invited to bid into the scheme in early 2021. To meet delivery timescales, universities, colleges and schools have been encouraged to begin preparations with international partners as soon as possible. 

In a statement, Universities UK International Director, Vivienne Stern said. “Evidence shows that students who have international experience tend to do better academically and in employment, and the benefits are greatest to those who are least advantaged. Therefore, the new Turing Scheme is a fantastic development and will provide global opportunities for thousands of UK students.”

With the press having reported that the UK decided to leave Erasmus + due to the cost, one can imagine that the government will be hoping for the Turing Scheme to be a success almost from the get go.