HC Deb 18 May 1982 vol 24 cc90-1W
24. Mr. Watson

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether he has recently investigated the potential costs of a unified education and training allowance for 16 to 18-year-olds; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. William Shelton

My right hon. Friend has no plans at present to change the support arrangements for those young people who remain in full-time education after 16. The Government's plans for other young people in this age group are contained in the White Paper "A New Training Initiative: A Programme for Action"—Cmnd. 8455—published in December last year.

Mr. Greenway

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what steps he proposes to take, following the issue of his Department's consultative document "Continuing Education: Post-experience Vocational Provision for those in Employment" in October 1980, to promote this aspect of education.

Mr. William Shelton

The responses to the consultative document confirm that there is a substantial and growing demand for updating and refresher courses for those in mid-career, which the further and higher educational system is particularly well-placed to meet. We recognise, however, that many institutions—universities, polytechnics and colleges—have been inhibited by a number of factors from responding as quickly and adequately as they might to these needs.

We are therefore today announcing a programme of action by the Department to stimulate, encourage and facilitate institutions' development of professional, industrial and commercial updating. The four main elements of the programme are:

  1. i. a series of one day regional workshops to help educational institutions learn to recognise these needs and to meet them effectively;
  2. ii. the provision of funds to develop course materials, innovatory teaching methods and curriculum design. To this end, we have asked the further educaton unit to act as a main agency in sponsoring projects in this area. We have also earmarked £1 million of the Open University's grant for 1982 to enable it to develop updating courses. This sum will be recovered from fee income;
  3. iii. the appointment, on an experimental basis, of a number of regional development agents whose task will be to stimulate, develop and co-ordinate PICKUP provision in their areas building on the impetus of the workshops and existing networks and expertise. We hope to appoint the first to serve the East Midlands from September 1982;
  4. iv. the strengthening of networks for the collation and pdissemination of information, so that employers, employees and providing institutions know what is being provided, and by whom.

The significant sums necessary to implement this programme will be made available from within the moneys voted by Parliament, provided the need is clearly demonstrated and the education system responds enthusiastically to our initiative.

The Department will be pursuing this programme and continuing to address other, longer-term problems identified in the consultative process as one very important part of its responsibilities in the broader field of adult and continuing education and as a complement to other elements of the Government's policies for education and training.