HC Deb 22 March 1995 vol 257 cc248-9W
Ms Short

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many training and enterprise councils and local enterprise companies are involved in the open learning credits initiative; what achievements have been made under the programme; how participation in open learning credits affects an unemployed persons eligibility for other Employment Department programmes; how many TECs and LECs will receive open learning credit funding in 1995–96; what are his future plans for the initiative; and if he will make a statement. [15178]

Mr. Paice

The open learning credits pilots were run in 1993–94 to trial the use of open learning for unemployed people. There were 14 pilots involving 17 training and enterprise councils and two local enterprise companies. The pilots were fully evaluated and a copy of the evaluation report has been place in the Library. The findings showed that open learning has a number of potential benefits to offer. Information from the pilots will be disseminated to TECs and LECs to help them decide on what use they want to make of open learning as a training method within their training provision. There are no plans to fund open learning credits as a separate initiative, so the question of participants eligibility for other Government programmes will not arise.

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