§ Mr. McCrindleTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will estimate the numbers of young people leaving universities and polytechnics and being available for work in each of the next five years; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. JacksonFuture recruitment and, certainly, students' intentions after qualifying, are obviously difficult to predict. A key factor over the next five years is the continuing fall in the traditional student entry age group. However, due to increasing participation rates and greater recruitment of part-time and mature students, numbers generally are projected to hold up against that trend. Indeed, the number of home students at higher education institutions in Great Britain who were under 21 on entry and, on qualifying, would enter the labour market is estimated to grow from nearly 100,000 in 1987 to about 150,000 in 1992.