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More than £ 100 million will be spent on the post-Brexit replacement of the Erasmus exchange program for UK students next year, it has been announced.
The Department of Education (DfE) said the Turing scheme will provide funding for some 35,000 students to do internships around the world starting in September.
The DfE said that the plan, named after Bletchley Park codebreaker Alan Turing, will cost £ 100 million in 2021-22, but that funding for subsequent academic years will be established in future spending reviews.
The government’s decision to end participation in the European Union scheme has proven controversial, particularly as Boris Johnson had previously said that Brexit did not threaten participation.
But Education Secretary Gavin Williamson said: “We now have the opportunity to expand study abroad opportunities and see more students of all backgrounds benefit from the experience.
“We have designed a truly international scheme that is focused on our priorities, offers real value for money and is an important part of our promise to raise the bar in the UK.”
The DfE said the new scheme will target students from disadvantaged backgrounds.
Around 35,000 British students are said to study annually on the Erasmus program, which the UK joined in 1987 to allow students to study and work across Europe.
The prime minister told MPs in January that “there was no threat to the Erasmus program and we will continue to participate in it.” But after negotiating a trade deal with Brussels, Johnson said he had made the “difficult decision” to withdraw from the plan for financial reasons.
In response, SNP MP Douglas Chapman accused the prime minister of “lies and bragging.”
A senior member of the UK negotiating team previously said that staying on Erasmus would have cost “hundreds of millions each year”.
“That was a significant cost and we believe we can do better, still allowing exchanges to Europe, but [which] it also allows exchanges around the world, ”said the official. “This is why that particular decision was made and we believe that it will continue to offer tremendous opportunities for British students to study around the world in the future.”
Vivienne Stern, Director of Universities UK International (UUKi), which promotes and represents UK universities abroad, said her organization was “obviously disappointed” that the UK would no longer be part of Erasmus, but outlined the plan of Turing as a “fantastic development”.
He said that it should now be a “priority” to work internationally to organize funding for foreign students studying in the UK with Erasmus.
“Receptive exchange students contributed £ 440 million to the UK economy in 2018 and there are real concerns as to whether the UK will experience a decline outside of the Erasmus program,” Stern added.
Scotland’s Prime Minister Nicola Sturgeon previously described the decision to ditch Erasmus as “cultural vandalism”, while former Prime Minister Gordon Brown also called for the UK to remain part of the plan.
In Northern Ireland, third-level university students will be able to continue studying under the Erasmus scheme after the Irish government agreed to fund them, Irish Education Minister Simon Harris said.
UK institutions will be asked to submit an offer to join the Turing scheme in the new year. Successful applicants will receive funds to administer the plan and students will receive scholarships to help cover the costs of studying abroad.
