EAST Hampshire MP and newly-appointed Secretary of State for Education Damian Hinds has been outlining his vision for the future.

Appearing on The Andrew Marr Show on BBC One on Sunday, Mr Hinds spoke about the Government’s higher education review, launched on Monday.

“It is right that the Government starts a review of tertiary education to understand how best to improve both the accessibility and value of higher and further education for all,” he told the Herald on Wednesday.

“Our post-18 education system has many strengths. It has a fantastic global reputation, we have record rates of disadvantaged students going to university and we are transforming technical education so employers have access to the skills they need, but there needs to be greater choice, in terms of cost and in how courses are structured.

“There is a real opportunity to consider the role of technical training alongside academic study, making sure young people can choose the right route to gain the skills and expertise they need for the future.

“For some, that might be a shorter course or studying closer to home; for others it might be an apprenticeship degree so they’re able to earn and learn at the same time.

“The review will consider all aspects of higher and further education provision, and the value delivered for students and the taxpayer.“

In its reported interview with Mr Hinds, published on Sunday, The Sunday Times said: “In his first big interview, Damian Hinds stamps his authority as a traditionalist with a pledge to expand grammar schools, unleash a wave of new faith schools and reaffirm the right of parents to take their children out of sex education classes.

“He said a review of university finance (as part of the higher-education review) could also lead to a cut in the interest rate on student loans; a reduction in the number of years for which graduates are expected to repay money and a rise in the salary level at which they start paying it back. He revealed future fees would be determined by a combination of: the cost to the university to put it on; the benefit to the student and the benefit to our country and our economy.”