§ Mr. Jim CunninghamTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will make a statement on the roll-out of the Employer Training Pilot. [155808]
§ Mr. Ivan Lewis[holding answer 23 February 2004]: Employer Training Pilots (ETP) were introduced in six local Learning and Skills Council areas in September 2002 to test new measures to improve access to training. ETPs offer a package of support to help low-skilled people in work gain their first level 2 or basic skills qualification. The pilots were subsequently extended for a further year (to August 2004) and doubled in number to cover a total of 12 LSC areas.
An independent evaluation of the first year of the pilots, published in December 2003, showed that ETPs are proving successful at engaging employers and their low-skilled employees in training. Building on this success, the Pre-Budget Report in December announced that ETPs are being extended for a third year and that a further six pilots will be launched in September 2004. This will mean that the pilots cover over a third of England and will enable the Government to explore further the impact of the pilots on the demand for training.
My officials are currently consulting with the Learning and Skills Council's Regional Directors over the locations for the new pilots and an announcement will be made in due course.