§ Mr. Maddenasked the Secretary of State for Employment whether he will now publish a consultative document on vocational preparation.
§ Mr. GoldingA consultative document will be published on 5 April. It will contain proposals for vocational preparation traineeships lasting several months, based directly on experience at work and provided in a joint enterprise between the training and the education services. The proposals regard industrial training boards and other national training bodies as the natural focal point for developing the traineeship programmes650W for their sectors through special vocational preparation committees involving the education service. The further education service would have a vital role in the programme, especially in providing the off-the-job element of vocational preparation. Decisions on these proposals will depend on the outcome of the consultations and the availability of resources.