HC Deb 03 March 1987 vol 111 cc563-4W
48. Mr. Patrick Thompson

asked the Paymaster General what steps he is taking to encourage management training in small firms.

Mr. Trippier

I am anxious to encourage management training in small firms because it is a route to success. While responsibility for undertaking management training and development rests with small businessmen themselves, training providers can stimulate demand for it by the development of training packages specifically designed to meet the needs of those running small firms. These considerations have also been central to the development of the Manpower Services Commission's training for enterprise, managing company expansion, and open tech programmes and the new management development projects. all of which contain significant elements to support management training in small firms.

To encourage those concerned to take advantage of the wide range of training programmes, including management training, now provided by the private and public sector, the Manpower Services Commission has targeted small firms for priority marketing and ran a series of seminars in 1986–87 to convince owner/managers of the importance of training.