§ 10. Mr. Nicholas Winterton (Macclesfield)What measures his Department has taken to encourage a greater level of training for work in manufacturing industry. [138366]
§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Education and Employment (Mr. Michael Wills)We are making good progress with setting up the Learning and Skills Council, which will receive funding of more than £5.5 billion in 2001–02.
The council will work closely with national training organisations, 19 of which are specifically involved in manufacturing. Their strategies include targeted use of a range of initiatives, including foundation and advanced modern apprenticeships and national vocational qualifications
§ Mr. WintertonI am grateful for that reply. Last Friday, I presented an Investors in People award to County Labels, a young, dynamic and successful manufacturing company located in Adelphi Mill, Bollington, in my constituency. Its success is partly based on training and what it describes as career development. The textile and clothing industry strategy group report of June emphasised the importance of improving and formalising training and career development, and stressed the need for universities and colleges to offer appropriate training opportunities. Bearing that in mind, are the Government looking specifically at the needs of manufacturing industry, which is the only source of sustainable non-inflationary economic growth in this country?
§ Mr. WillsI congratulate the firm in the hon. Gentleman's constituency. It is very good to see firms getting the Investors in People award, which is a valuable recognition of their quality, and I send my compliments to County Labels.
We recognise the importance of training, which, as the hon. Gentleman will be aware, was a significant part of the plan that we announced in June to help the industry to restructure. Training is essential to that aim, and we have set up a foresight panel to link the science base to manufacturing. That is fundamental to all our strategies, not only for manufacturing and training, but for the economy as a whole.
§ Mr. Barry Jones (Alyn and Deeside)Does my hon. Friend know that although the British aerospace industry has a full order book, it is facing serious skills shortages which may eventually affect the overseas earnings of between £4 billion to £5 billion a year that it makes for Britain? Does he think that our high schools are telling our 16-year-old school leavers about the value of apprenticeships? Will he undertake to start a campaign in our high schools so that teachers tell students that those 432 apprenticeships are available; otherwise, a great industry may not be able to find the local skilled labour that it needs and may have to recruit elsewhere?
§ Mr. WillsWe recognise the problem of skills shortages throughout the economy and particularly want to encourage apprenticeships for those students who would find them a valuable and fulfilling step towards work. I draw my hon. Friend's attention to an interesting pilot initiative in schools involving computer aided design in computer aided manufacturing—CADCAM—using information and communications technology. That is helping to generate real interest in engineering and we are confident that it will start to bridge the skills gaps to which my hon. Friend referred.