As many know the Turing scheme was introduced following the end of the Erasmus scheme which provided affordable and sometimes free opportunities for UK students to work and volunteer abroad.
The Turing scheme was designed to replace the Erasmus scheme to continue to provide international opportunities to UK students. Throughout its history it has provided thousands of students with global opportunities and millions of pounds to charities and universities.
The Turing scheme also supported small charities who suffered during COVID as it was incredibly challenging for students to travel internationally.
In 2021, the scheme was approved for the next three years with applicants for the 2024/25 academic year being accepted. However, the change of government has led to uncertainty and a lack of clarity surrounding the funding.
Over the summer charities and recipients had been told that funding has been paused until the Labour government decide how they want to proceed with the project. As parliament doesn’t return until September this has halted many organisations plans for further projects.
This has meant organisations are unsure whether they can provide affordable and free projects in the future. Whilst projects will still continue they may range between £1000-2500 which will be unaffordable for many students.
This is likely to lead to lower uptake on these programmes which means less people will go to schools, conservation projects and other projects impacting organisations relationships they have forged with these different entities.
Whilst there is an appeal process expected to carry on until October/November the current decision has already led to significant disruption.
For students who are seeking to utilise this funding through their university or an external organisation its worth keeping up with this story to see what the government’s next move is.
There seems to be little information on this issue at the moment as it seems to be going unnoticed under the surface but it is expected that when the appeal process starts and the next academic year begins that it will come to light.
Given the concerns raised about the Turing Scheme’s funding uncertainty, how might students best prepare for the potential outcomes of the appeal process, especially if funding is reduced or discontinued?
This is such an important issue! It’s really concerning to hear about the uncertainty surrounding the Turing scheme and its impact on students who are eager to gain international experience.
I’m curious, do you have any insights into how the change in government might affect the future of the scheme or the appeal process? Also, what can students do to stay informed and potentially advocate for the continuation of affordable opportunities abroad?
It’s definitely a situation worth keeping an eye on, and I’d love to hear any thoughts or updates you might have!
I think students should aim to seek out the most affordable international opportunities for them, they should also maintain an awareness of all the opportunities that can be accessed within the UK as there are so many.
I think the Labour government will find it hard to completely disband the scheme whilst they do claim there is a whole in public finances it is unlikely to see the scheme disappear all together.
To stay informed students should look out for information from their university if they are expecting funding and should also keep up to date with any news relating to this story.
Given the uncertainty and potential funding cuts to the Turing scheme as described, how might this affect the accessibility of international opportunities for UK students, particularly those from lower-income backgrounds, and what implications could this have on the UK’s global engagement and educational equity in the long term?
I think this could disadvantage students from lower-income backgrounds. The Turing scheme has been brilliant at providing students great opportunities at low cost and without it, it will be very expensive for students to fund these opportunities.
It will also impact global engagement, some of these projects have had great impacts on communities and projects around the world representing the UK without them there will certainly be a void.
It’s worrying that funding for the Turing scheme is on hold. This scheme is important for giving UK students international opportunities, and the pause affects both charities and students.