Training (Hansard, 19 October 1993)

§ 9. Mr. Anthony Coombs
To ask the Secretary of State for Employment when he last met representatives of the TEC movement to discuss training initiatives.

§ Miss Widdecombe
My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State meets TEC representatives frequently to discuss the work on which they are engaged. Only yesterday, he and I met a group of TEC chairmen to discuss recent developments.

§ Mr. Coombs
Has my hon. Friend had the opportunity to discuss with the Central England training and enterprise council the success of the training offered at Kidderminster college in my constituency, which has attracted a record number of entrants to its training programmes this year? The vast majority of those students are taking national vocational qualifications to a much higher level than ever before. Is that not evidence of the huge investment that the Government have been making in training programmes in the past 10 years and of the higher level of training that is now being attained through NVQs?

§ Miss Widdecombe
Yes. My hon. Friend is right. I congratulate the TEC on the initiative in his constituency. It is certainly true that the Government place a great deal of emphasis on proper skilling of the work force through training and vocational qualifications. The local example that my hon. Friend has given is just one of many national examples, but it is an outstanding one.

§ Mr. Malcolm Bruce
With graduate unemployment at 13 per cent. and with the Government actively encouraging more students to undertake further and higher education, does the Minister agree that that poses a serious problem? Can she tell us what initiatives she proposes to take through the TEC system to ensure that there are adequate jobs for those who complete further and higher education?

§ Miss Widdecombe
It is still overwhelmingly the case that graduate unemployment is much lower than that experienced by those in general employment. For example, 5 per cent. of all graduates are unemployed, as opposed to the national unemployment level of just over 10 per cent. It is still overwhelmingly the case that if one is a graduate one has a better chance of employment. Nevertheless, the fact remains that we are concerned that graduates, along with everyone else, have had to bear their fair share of pain, but, along with everyone else, the number of unemployed graduates is falling and opportunities are growing. I will encourage TECs to find schemes and training that are suitable for graduates as well as all other unemployed people.

§ Mr. Rathbone
Is my hon. Friend satisfied with the Government's efforts to encourage company training schemes such as those that are being so admirably encouraged by Brighton university in Sussex? I believe that that is the largest company training scheme centre in Great Britain.

§ Miss Widdecombe
Yes, we are very keen that employers should not only train new recruits but train throughout life. We are encouraging lifelong training programmes through the investors in people programme, through company training initiatives and through our NVQs. We have made immense strides. Unlike the Opposition, we do not divide the functions of education and training from employment; they are interlinked and the Opposition should recognise that.

§ Mr. Dobson
What representations has the Secretary of State received from training and enterprise councils about the Government's most dramatic trainiing initiative, the privatisation of skill centres? Before privatisation there were 60 skill centres, training more than 100,000 people. Just 27 are left, 13 of which have been sold to Mr. Patrick Doyle. Why have they been sold to Mr. Patrick Doyle? It cannot be because he has a reputation for integrity, because he was imprisoned for forgery and fraud; it cannot be because he has experience of running training schemes, because he has none. Is it because he has raised fuunds for the Conservative party? That he certainly has.

Hon. Members
Answer.

§ Miss Widdecombe
If hon. Members are keen to hear the answer perhaps they would like to listen.
First, the hon. Gentleman asks what representations we have received from TECs. TECs have told us that they are satisfied that they can supply all the traininig that used to be supplied by the Astra outlets that have been closed. Secondly, 16 Astra outlets have so far been sold, and they have been sold as going concerns. We have no legal power to tell the receiver to whom he should sell the assets of a private company.