HC Deb 01 November 1994 vol 248 cc1336-7
5. Mr. Viggers

To ask the Secretary of State for Education what are the latest figures she has for the number of 16-year-olds participating in part-time or full-time education; and what were the comparable figures for five years ago.

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Further and Higher Education (Mr. Tim Boswell)

In the 1988–89 academic year, 473,000 16-year-olds participated in full-time or part-time education, representing a participation rate of nearly 70 per cent. For the 1993–94 academic year, the latest available figures show that the equivalent figures are 429,000 and 80 per cent.

Mr. Viggers

Does my hon. Friend agree that those figures are very satisfactory, and that they perhaps reflect the introduction of national vocational qualifications and general national vocational qualifications courses, which are thought by pupils to be very relevant to their aspirations? Indeed, a report on GNVQs, published today, described students' responses as "overwhelmingly positive". Does my hon. Friend agree that schools that do not offer GNVQ courses should be encouraged to do so, perhaps taking a leaf out of the book of St. Vincent college in my constituency, which he was good enough to visit recently?

Mr. Boswell

I am grateful to my hon. Friend for his comments. I very much enjoyed my visit to the college, with which I know he is very involved. It has excellent provision, reflecting a strong interest in, and a strong take-up of, vocational qualifications, both GNVQs and NVQs. We now find that the targets that we set for GNVQ involvement for 1996 have already been hit, and we are determined that those courses should deliver high-quality vocational education.

Mr. Hardy

I welcome the increase in the number of young people extending their education, but will the Minister recognise and acknowledge that it is not all good—that many young people who are staying on at school are doing so because there are no prospects of employment for them in many parts of the country?

Mr. Boswell

It is interesting that the figures for participation in further education began to increase before the recent recession, and have continued to increase during it. I would say to students at school or college during this period that the best possible guarantee for their future employment is high-grade education, whether academic or vocational.

Mr. Congdon

Given the recent reports on GNVQs, which expressed some worries, what steps does my hon. Friend intend to take to ensure that standards, which are most important, are rigorously maintained?

Mr. Boswell

I very much agree with my hon. Friend about the importance of maintaining standards in vocational qualifications. In a sense, we anticipated those reports by setting out a six-point plan as early as this March. We are now pressing ahead, with the National Council for Vocational Qualifications, on implementing that plan, and any other points, including the incorporation of core skills, that have arisen from recent reports.