Birmingham is proudly among the UK’s largest student cities. Before Christmas, I hosted a summit meeting between local MPs and student leaders from across the city. They have now published a ‘Birmingham Universities Manifesto’ which sets out their prioirities and calls for the debate around Britain’s exit from the EU to be refocused to better take into account the concerns of young people and all those involved in further and higher education. The manifesto sends a powerful message about the kinds of things that need to be done to make sure that Brexit does not inflict irreparable damage to higher and further education in the city.
Their manifesto for Brexit has five key demands:
- Supporting community cohesion through investment in cultural celebrations and exchanges.
- Making it clear that EU citizens who have built their lives in the UK can stay here to live and work.
- Ensuring the UK stays in the Erasmus scheme, which helps students across the EU to study in other EU countries.
- Replacing the research funding that currently goes to UK universities via the EU.
- Continuing to provide apprenticeships, many of which are currently connected to EU exports.
If you would like to know more about the manifesto and read the coverage from the Birmingham Mail, please see here.
