§ 56. Sir G. Sinclairasked the Minister of Labour if he will consult trade unions and management to ensure that immigrants have reasonable access to apprenticeship and training schemes for the middle ranges of skilled employment and to opportunities for engagement and promotion in such employment.
§ Mr. MarshNo. Employment opportunities for young immigrants have recently been investigated by the Commonwealth Immigrants Advisory Council, which reported that there was no evidence that immigrants with the necessary qualifications did not have equal opportunities of obtaining apprenticeships.
The Advisory Council thought it important that youth employment officers should continue to persuade employers that young immigrants of above average ability might be suitable for a wide variety of employment in industry and commerce, including many types of clerical work; and the Central Youth Employment Executive has issued a memorandum to all youth employment officers to this effect. So far as the Ministry of Labour's vocational training scheme is concerned, immigrants are accepted for training on the same basis as other persons.
Qualified immigrants are readily accepted for skilled employment and my right hon. Friend has no evidence of difficulties about their promotion, which would justify his intervention in a matter which is primarily for industry itself.