§ Mr. ChaytorTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what plans he has to526W encourage co-operation and joint planning between further education colleges and neighbouring schools in respect of (a) 14 to 16 year old students and (b) 16 to 19 year old students. [57667]
§ Mr. MudieWe are keen to see greater collaboration between schools and colleges. For 14 to 16 year olds we are encouraging innovative arrangements for work related learning through school-college links. We have also invited Local Education Authorities to bid under the new £500 million Social Inclusion: Pupil Support Grant for projects involving colleges to tackle truancy and exclusion from school.
For 16 to 19 year olds we are working closely with the Local Government Association, the Further Education Funding Council and other partners to promote co-operation between schools and colleges with the aim of increasing participation and achievement. We hope to make a further announcement in this area shortly.
§ Mr. ChaytorTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what assessment he has made of the comparative costs of equivalent courses delivered by(a) further education colleges and (b) training and enterprise councils; and if he will make a statement. [57668]
§ Mr. MudieEstimates of the funding costs of achieving various qualifications in school sixth forms, FE colleges and work-based training will appear in 'The Public Funding Costs of Education and Training for 16–19 Year Olds in England 1996–97'. This report is currently being finalised in collaboration with representatives of the FE sector, training and enterprise councils and other partner organisations, and will be published shortly.