§ 6. Mr. Michael Connarty (Falkirk, East)How many modern apprenticeships places will be made available in Scotland; and if he will make a statement on the timetable and cost of the initiative. [84132]
§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Scotland (Mr. Calum Macdonald)A well-trained work force are the foundation of a modern economy and that is why the Government set a target of 15,000 modern apprenticeships by 2002. From 1 July 1999, this will be a matter for the Scottish Parliament. The Labour party campaigned in the recent Scottish election on a commitment to increase that figure to 20,000—a doubling of the present figure. The budget for this financial year is £17 million.
§ Mr. ConnartyI thank my hon. Friend for that reply. As I represent an area with a heavy petrochemical industry, I have already come across young people in Grangemouth and the surrounding towns who have taken up modern apprenticeships in the chemical industry. May I reassure my hon. Friend that they are pleased that they have a Government team at Scottish and at United Kingdom level who are willing to invest in their future? Will he reassure those young people that this Government, and Scottish Ministers working in co-operation with UK Ministers, will maintain a steady course and a stable and strong economy so that they can be sure that they will have jobs for which to compete in a growing economy in Scotland?
§ Mr. MacdonaldI can certainly give my hon. Friend that assurance. He is right to say that the wider UK context of a strong economy is essential to deliver the goal of more apprenticeships which the new Scottish Parliament will try to achieve. There are around 1,500 modern apprenticeships in engineering, which I am sure will be welcome news to my hon. Friend given his constituency interests.
§ Mr. Archy Kirkwood (Roxburgh and Berwickshire)Will the Minister assure the House that the south-east Scotland and Scottish borders area will have its fair share of access to those new modern apprenticeships? Will he acknowledge the importance, in particular in such industries as textiles, of training, so that the industry can be promoted in the best possible way? Will he also acknowledge the importance of European Union structural funds to training, in addition to modern apprenticeships? When will he be in a position to announce the results as regards eligibility for European structural funds and the new regional selective assistance maps for areas such as south-east Scotland? In making those decisions, will he take into account the economic difficulties that that region is facing?
§ Mr. MacdonaldOn the latter point, the hon. Gentleman will be aware that there is a consultation period as regards the map. We will wait until the end of that period to find out what feedback we get before any 153 final decisions are taken. On modem apprenticeships and the textile industry, a number of industries are not as well-represented as they should be in the scheme. In the coming months, we will try to improve their profile, including that of the textile industry.
§ Mrs. Maria Fyfe (Glasgow, Maryhill)May I add my congratulations to the new Front-Bench team and ask my hon. Friend whether every effort will be made to ensure that as many of the apprenticeships as possible come to Glasgow? He will be well aware that the loss of jobs in Glasgow is not a recent event—it has been occurring for decades, and during the period in office of the previous Government many large businesses became small businesses or went out of business altogether. If we can create opportunities, I hope that something can be done for the young people of Glasgow.
§ Mr. MacdonaldMy hon. Friend is right. I cannot give her the figures for the number of apprenticeships in Glasgow, but if we are to get young people back into employment, we need good skills and training, which is what the modem apprenticeships scheme is designed to achieve.