§ 63. Mr. MansTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will make a further statement on the progress of two-year YTS.
§ Mr. CopeAt the end of October 1988 there were 435,200 young people training on YTS and, since the launch of YTS in 1983, 2 million young people have joined the scheme.
§ 66. Ms. ArmstrongTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment what steps he is taking to improve the level of safety for YTS trainees; and if he will make a statement.
§ 74. Mr. BattleTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment what steps he is taking to improve the level of safety for YTS trainees; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. CopeHealth and safety remain of paramount importance in YTS. YTS is fully covered by health and safety legislation. There is a contractual requirement on all managing agents to comply with the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act both in work placements and off-the-job training. In addition, positive commitment to health and safety is one of 10 criteria a training organisation now has to satisfy before achieving approved training organisation status.
We have in hand improved safety training packages both for young people and trainers.
§ 75. Mr. McAllionTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many 16 and 17-year-olds have accepted training places in YTS.
§ Mr. CopeAt the end of October 1988 YTS records show 435,000 young people in training on YTS. A total of 252,000 young people entered YTS for the first time between 1 April 1988 and 31 October 1988—the majority of these entrants were 16 and 17-year-olds.
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§ Ms. ArmstrongTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will publish in theOfficial Report figures to show the categories of training and numbers of trainees on each, undertaken by females on YTS schemes (a) nationally and (b) in Durham, North-West constituency.
§ Mr. CopeAt the end of October 1988 there were 169,500 females in training on YTS nationally. The occupational breakdown of these trainees is shown in the following table.
Information is not available for trainees in Durham, North-West constituency. However information on the numbers of females in training by training occupation for the Training Agency Durham area is available, but not immediately to hand. I will write to the hon. Member shortly and place a copy of the letter in the Library.
Occupational breakdown of females on YTS schemes, 31 October 1988 Occupations Number of females in training Administrative and clerical occupations 56,500 Creative and educational and recreational service occupations 3,700 Health, community and personal service occupations 44,600 Selling and storage occupations 27,900 Scientific occupations 700 Catering and food preparation and processing occupations 8,400 Agricultural and related occupations 5,100 Fishing occupations 1 Transport operating occupations 500 Construction and civil engineering occupations 1,600 Mining, oil extraction and quarrying occupations 1 Electrical and electronic engineering occupations 700 Mechanical engineering and metal production and processing occupations 1,400 Motor vehicle repair and maintenance occupations 800 Non-metal processing occupations 900 Printing occupations 700 Clothing and textiles manufacturing occupations 10,200 Security service occupations 1 Others 5,700 TOTAL 169,500 1 Less than 50 trainees.
§ Ms. ArmstrongTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment what is the vacancy factor on YTS schemes(a) nationally, (b) in the northern region and (c) in the Durham, North-West constituency.
§ Mr. CopeAt 31 October there were around 120,000 YTS places unfilled nationally, about 7,000 in the northern region and 395 in the local authority districts of Derwentside and Wear valley. It is not possible to provide separate figures for the constituency of north-west Durham.
§ Ms. ArmstrongTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment what is the number and proportion of YTS trainees who are of black or Asian origin.
§ Mr. CopeOf the 396,100 young people in training on YTS at 31 March 1988, the latest available date, the number of young people who identified themselves as of black or Asian origin was 10,966 (2.8 per cent.). Number and participant rates for ethnic minority trainees on employment training is not yet available.
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§ Ms. ArmstrongTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment what is the number and proportion of YTS trainees who are female.
§ Mr. CopeOf the 435,200 young people in training on YTS at 31 October, 169,500 (39 per cent.) were female.
§ Ms. ArmstrongTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many and what percentage of YTS participants in(a) the northern region, (b) Durham,
Percentage of YTS leavers in full-time employment — northern region, County Durham and Great Britain figures 1983–84 1984–85 1985–86 1986–87 1987–88 Northern region Total number of leavers n/a 127,000 130,000 125,000 123,000 Percentage of leavers in full-time employment n/a 242 240 242 246 County Durham Total number of leavers n/a n/a 3 3 3 Percentage of leavers in full-time employment n/a n/a 241 243 247 Great Britain Total number of leavers 128,000 368,000 418,000 356,000 324,000 Percentage of leavers in full-time employment 249 255 253 256 257 1Estimated. 2 Information extracted from 100 per cent. follow-up survey. 3 Information not readily available. Note: County Durham figures relate to the Training Agency's Darlington Area, the best available approximation.