§ Sir Hector Monroasked the Secretary of State for Scotland if consideration of the extension to Scotland of the technical and vocational education initiative introduced by Her Majesty's Government and the Manpower Services Commission has been completed; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. YoungerI am glad to say that following consultations between the Government, the Manpower Services Commission and the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities it has been agreed that it will be possible for education authorities to prepare and submit a number of projects for support by the Manpower Services Commission that will be consistent both with the agreed aims, criteria and guidelines applying to projects under the extended technical and vocational education initiative and with my educational development programmes for 14 to 16-year-olds and for 16 to 18-year-olds. I understand that the Manpower Services Commission is inviting applications from education authorites in Scotland and will arrange for them to be considered as soon as possible with a view to a number of projects starting at the beginning of the 1984–85 school year.