§ Sir John FarrTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will make it his intention to provide all youth trainees, by negotiation, with personal training plans specifying the intended level of achievement, not necessarily in national vocational qualification terms but related to their own ability and aspirations and the needs of their actual or possible employment, and capable of change if the trainee, managing agent and employer agree it is necessary.
Mr. JacksonI am currently reviewing the approach to ET and YT personal training plans with a view to introducing common procedure and terminology. We shall retain the principle of variation by agreement between trainee and training provider, and we shall as a minimum require a national vocational qualification or equivalent objective to be clearly stated. Training providers will be free, as now, to include other aspirations All training plans will be based on assessment of individual needs.
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§ Sir John FarrTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will make a statement on the extent to which youth training builds on existing strengths of managing agents acquired over years of adaptation.
Mr. JacksonYouth training (YT) builds on the success of YTS in helping young people achieve qualifications and jobs. Training and enterprise councils have the responsibility for developing their networks of YT training providers in order to continue improving on the work already achieved through YTS.
§ Sir John FarrTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment to what extent youth training offers a service to all up to and including the age of 18 years not in full-time education, to start and complete work-related training.
Mr. JacksonAll young people under 18 who are not in full-time education or a job are guaranteed the offer of a suitable youth training (YT) place if they want one. YT helps eligible young people to acquire the broad-based skills necessary for a flexible and self-reliant work force and provides participants with training leading to national vocational qualifications at or above level II. Young people with special training needs receive appropriate training so that they can progress as far as possible towards general and vocational competences.
§ Sir John FarrTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will arrange for high levels of payment for any trainees showing evidence of under-achievement in literacy and numeracy, in lieu of paying on achieving NVQ 2.
Mr. JacksonLevels and methods of payment for training are entirely matters for local negotiation between training and enterprise councils and their training providers.
§ Sir John FarrTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment what steps he will take to ensure that training and enterprise councils will be committed to securing excellence and quality of methods and outcomes of training.
Mr. JacksonTraining and enterprise councils (TECs) are required to draw up a strategy for securing quality training as part of their plans. The quality of training provided will be monitored by inspectors from my training standards advisory service.