§ 7. Mr. Goldingasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what steps he intends to take to improve the educational facilities available for apprentices.
§ Mr. PrenticeI am anxious that educational opportunities should be improved for all young people in employment, including apprentices, and I am in discussion with a number of interested bodies about possible ways of making practical progress in difficult economic circumstances.
§ Mr. GoldingIs my right hon. Friend aware that apprentices and others are 1085 dissatisfied with the standard of teaching in night classes in particular, and that many young people are thoroughly fed up with the lack of organisation in some of the technical colleges?
§ Mr. PrenticeI should not like to accept a generalised criticism of the standard of teaching. I have seen for myself, and have heard a great deal of evidence of, the high standards of teaching in our technical colleges. If my hon. Friend has specific instances that he would like to draw to my attention, perhaps he will write to me about them.
§ Mr. William SheltonIs the right hon. Gentleman aware that there is much support for a more flexible approach to the sixteenth year for many students and that education opportunities in apprenticeships might be one of the ways of achieving this?
§ Mr. PrenticeIf the hon. Gentleman means that we should retreat from the commitment of all parties in the House to the raising of the school leaving age to 16, I emphatically disagree with him. I agree that we need to improve both the quantity and quality of further education for those who have left school, particularly in the 16–19 age group.