§ 7. Mr. Hector Hughesasked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will state his estimate of the number of boys and girls, respectively, in Aberdeen who will leave school there during each of the next five years; and what provision the Government have made for their technical education and absorption into industry.
§ The Secretary of State for Scotland (Mr. J. S. Maclay)I shall, with permission, circulate the figures in the OFFICIAL REPORT.
I have approved a programme of expenditure of £1.4 million by the responsible local bodies for the expansion of technical education in Aberdeen. Youth Employment Officers will continue to assist in finding work for young people leaving school.
§ Mr. HughesDoes the Secretary of State realise that it is terribly wasteful for hundreds of young people to be rejected by the community in which they have been educated? Does he also realise that a concrete and definite plan for training and absorption into industry is long overdue, and will he expedite it?
§ Mr. MaclayI fully understand and sypathise with the hon. and learned Gentleman's concern in the matter. I am sure he will agree that the programme which I have described is a substantial one. The training of apprentices is primarily a matter for industry. As the hon. and learned Gentleman knows, the Aberdeen Education Authority is very interested in the problem and is working with industry on it.
§ Following are the figures:
| ESTIMATE OF NUMBER OF SCHOOL LEAVERS IN ABERDEEN | ||||
| Year | Boys | Girls | Total | |
| 1960 | … | 1,170 | 1,200 | 2,370 |
| 1961 | … | 1,470 | 1,400 | 2,870 |
| 1962 | … | 1,560 | 1,540 | 3,100 |
| 1963 | … | 1,630 | 1,650 | 3,280 |
| 1964 | … | 1,610 | 1,630 | 3,240 |