HC Deb 28 February 1946 vol 419 cc2078-9
6. Squadron-Leader Sir Gifford Fox

asked the Minister of Education with regard to the proposed colleges for teachers of commercial subjects, how many would-be teachers have applied; how many have been provisionally accepted; how many are in training; and how many have been trained and are available for service in the schools.

Miss Wilkinson

Of the applications received under the Emergency Scheme for the Training of Technical Teachers, some 2,000 are from applicants who wish to teach commercial subjects. Of these only.a relatively small proportion possess qualifications of the general level required for teaching in schools and colleges of commerce for which this scheme is intended to prepare. No provisional selections are made under this scheme but candidates are selected as courses become available. One such course is now in operation, with 18 students, at the college for technical teachers which opened at Bolton a few weeks ago. A second college will be opened in London in the autumn and a third college is under consideration. It is not proposed to open separate colleges for teachers of commercial subjects.