Plymouth (Hansard, 2 November 1959)

§ 19. Miss Vickers
asked the Minister of Labour if he will state the number of young people who are unemployed in Plymouth to the latest available date.

§ Mr. P. Thomas
The number was 201 on 28th October.

§ Miss Vickers
In view of the fact that we have already 3.4 per cent. unemployment and in view of the fact that the 652 peak period for juveniles aged 15 leaving school will be 1962, has my hon. Friend any proposals for training these young people?

§ Mr. Thomas
My hon. Friend knows that the area to which she is referring should be able to benefit from the measures which the Government are taking under the Local Employment Bill. I hope that industry can be attracted into that area, in which case I hope that there will be additional training facilities.

§ 20. Miss Vickers
asked the Minister of Labour, following the deputation from Plymouth which was received by the Parliamentary Secretary on 23rd July, what progress has been made in the provision of the funds to be voted to allow the Admiralty to train more apprentices.

§ Mr. P. Thomas
The deputation, I understand, suggested that the Royal Naval Dockyard in Devonport should be enabled to train apprentices in excess of its own requirements on the ground that an increase in the local supply of skilled labour might help to attract firms into the area. The suggestion has been examined, but it is considered that there should be a closer link between the training of an apprentice and his prospects of subsequent employment as a craftsman than would appear to be envisaged in this proposal.

§ Miss Vickers
Does my hon. Friend realise that this was done in the depression of the 'thirties when the dockyard trained apprentices not with the object of subsequently employing them but, having trained them, for them to go up the line, as it is known in Devonport, to get other jobs? We have no training facilities and it is not for industries likely to go there to train boys for them to go elsewhere for jobs.

§ Mr. Thomas
I appreciate the problem which my hon. Friend has in her area, but, as she will understand, the training of an apprentice should be related to his prospects of employment in the trade, and there should be good prospects of his being taken on as a craftsman at the conclusion of his apprenticeship. Unfortunately, in her constituency at the moment there is very little alternative employment to the dockyards. One can hope that this situation will be remedied soon.

§ Sir A. V. Harvey
Would it not be better for these men to be trained, even if they have no prospect of jobs locally, for in the intervening period they may get jobs elsewhere?

§ Mr. Thomas
The difficulty is that it is the policy, which is generally accepted, that industry itself should be responsible for the industrial training of apprentices. If something different were agreed it would depart from that policy, which has been accepted. No policy on training is inflexible, of course, and it must be continually open to review. I will bear in mind everything that my hon. Friend has said in relation to the dockyard at Devonport.

Mr. Lee
Will the Minister take into consideration that we are getting to the crest of the bulge—in other words, that the number of school leavers will go on increasing up to 1962—and that the ratio of school leavers who are taking any sort of technical training or apprenticeship is dropping in proportion to the numbers leaving school? This is a most serious situation.

§ Mr. Thomas
That is, of course, taken into consideration.