§ Mr. WigleyTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment what guidelines have been issued by his Department to training and enterprise councils concerning special needs training; and whether he has set any specific targets for the numbers of special needs trainees.
Mr. JacksonMy Department issued guidelines to training and enterprise councils in the publication "Developing a Special Training Needs Strategy—A Guide for TECs". Further sources of help and information are listed in the publication.
There are no specific national targets for the numbers of special needs trainees. However, TECs are required to provide appropriate training for people with special training needs. The TECs are obliged by contract to identify such people by endorsement procedures in youth training and initial assessment in employment training. They must show in detail in their business plans how they intend to ensure appropriate provision.
§ Mr. WigleyTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many places were offered annually under the employment training scheme since its founding; and how many of these positions have been filled by trainees with special needs.
Mr. JacksonEmployment training started in September 1988 with 300,000 available places. During 1989–90 there were an average of 244,000 to 255,000 available places and in 1990–91 there are resources for an average of 215,000 places. In the period September 1988 to September 1990, 11 per cent. of all entrants were people with disabilities and 16 per cent. of all entrants were assessed as having a literacy and/or numeracy training need.