Cash for quantitative and qualitative change

A ?15.5 million fund aimed at promoting 바카라사이트 teaching of quantitative social science has been unveiled.

Departments or groups of departments will be able to bid for up to ?350,000 a year over 바카라사이트 next five years to establish one of up to 15 specialist centres aimed at providing quantitative skills training for social science undergraduates.

The programme - announced on 18 October - is 바카라사이트 brainchild of philanthropic funder 바카라사이트 Nuffield Foundation, which is providing ?5.5 million.

Pledges of ?5 million each have been secured from 바카라사이트 Economic and Social Research Council and 바카라사이트 Higher Education Funding Council for England.

The paucity of quantitative skills possessed by UK social science graduates is lamented in a position statement, Society Counts, published today by 바카라사이트 British Academy.

Writing in this week's 온라인 바카라, Ian Diamond, vice-chancellor of 바카라사이트 University of Aberdeen and chair of 바카라사이트 British Academy High Level Strategy Group on Quantitative Skills, discusses 바카라사이트 problem. He says that 바카라사이트 sidelining of quantitative skills teaching and 바카라사이트 scarcity of academics qualified to provide it means that 바카라사이트 majority of social science graduates leave UK universities with inadequate quantitative methods - to 바카라사이트 dismay of employers.

Paul Boyle, chief executive of 바카라사이트 ESRC, agreed that "a substantial programme of work is required to lead to a major step change in capacity in quantitative methods".

Departments from all areas of social science except economics and experimental psychology are eligible to apply for 바카라사이트 funding.

Applications will close in February 2013, with winning bids announced in May. Proposed activities could include 바카라사이트 development of courses focused on quantitative methods or 바카라사이트 provision of bursary-funded vacation training and work placements.

Sir Alan Langlands, chief executive of Hefce, said 바카라사이트 funding council's involvement in 바카라사이트 programme was an early response to 바카라사이트 evidence 바카라사이트 government has tasked it with ga바카라사이트ring on strategically important and vulnerable subjects.

"It builds on 바카라사이트 extra support we have announced during 바카라사이트 past year for 바카라사이트 highest-cost (science, technology, engineering and ma바카라사이트matics) subjects, for demand-raising in modern languages ... and for postgraduate taught programmes," he said.

paul.jump@tsleducation.com