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that it is likely to meet our needs. I have to say that the proposal is still rather light on detail, and some aspects have caused a raised eyebrow or two here.
The investment we might make in the British Council's MTC is
constrained in any case by the funds presently available to
us. As you know, following the run-down of the Joint Funding Scheme we will have only £0.5 million to play with. I think it wise not to think of putting all our eggs in one basket. In order to give us total control over at least some of the
funds, to enable you to target high flying candidates from
other spheres, I would envisage a split along the following
lines:
£100.000 for a MTC post-graduate scholarship scheme
(1996/7)
£150,000 for a directly targetted FCOSAS programme with no
outside involvement (1996/7)
£250,000 for a joint funding scheme with the private sector
(1996/7).
On specifics relating to the concept of the MTC and HMG's
involvement therein, there are a number of questions on which it would be very helpful to have your feedback.
You mention in your letter that the MTC will provide residential and day/weekend courses giving management and manufacturing technology training to graduates. Do the British Council see scope for any other diversity of discipline? Will students emerging from the Centre have the qualifications and background to enable them to take up scholarships at post-graduate level in the UK?
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