There is a growing concern that the number of well-educated professionals in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (the "STEM" fields) is far fewer than needed, establishing a kind of "global race" for building the STEM pipeline (The Observatory 2013).
It is time for a global race to the top on equality of opportunity for men and women.
A Treasury spokesman said: "We are committed to solving today's problems, but also preparing for tomorrow's challenges by investing in our future and equipping Britain for the global race".
1.05pm GMT Craig Whittaker, a Conservative, says children have not been prepared for the global race under Labour.
Sources insisted that the prime minister's proposal was an illustration of his determination to prepare school-leavers for the "global race" in which Britain can succeed by becoming a "land of opportunity".
That point applies in spades to David Cameron and George Osborne, who are hacking back the public sector even while repeatedly cutting the corporation tax rate in the name of making Britain fit for some "global race".
At the end of a Conservative conference in Manchester dedicated to sending tough messages on welfare, party officials said the proposals for young people to be either "earning or learning" were a prime example of how a modern Tory state would not turn its back on the world, but instead "equip the vulnerable for the global race".
They gave rise to the prison-industrial complex, the breaking of the safety net in so-called welfare reform, and the conditions that set the stage for a global race to the bottom when it comes to wages in this country, in terms of his free trade agreements, which largely eviscerated the manufacturing economy of this country".
There is only room for one great global race as the fossil fuel era runs down – to copy Apple and Ikea.
"For him, the global race will not just be a cliche, it will be something that he can properly envisage," says Nelson.
