§ Charles HendryTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will make a statement on the progress of the Connexions service towards meeting its target of reducing by one tenth the number of 16 to 18-year-olds not in education, employment or training by one tenth by November 2004. [154781]
§ Margaret HodgeThe Connexions Service is making good progress towards the target of reducing the proportion of 16 to 18-year-olds not in education, employment or training. In November 2003, Connexions Partnerships estimated that the proportion of 16 to 18year-olds not in education, employment or training had fallen by 8 per cent. in established phase 1 and 2 Partnership areas, and 3 per cent. overall taking the new phase 3 areas into account, during the past year.
§ Charles HendryTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many 16 to 18-year-olds not in education, employment or training there were in each month since the Connexions service was established. [154782]
§ Margaret HodgeThe number of 16 to 18-year-olds known not to be in education, employment or training in each month since the Connexions Service was established is shown in the following table. The year-on-year increases in numbers recorded as being not in education employment or training change because of the phased roll out of Connexions Partnerships in 2002–03. The national data increases as each Partnership becomes operational. In November 2003, Connexions Partnerships estimated that the proportion of 16 to 18-year-olds not in education, employment or training had fallen by 3 per cent. overall during the previous year.
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Number of 16 to 18-year-olds known by the Connexions Service not to be in education employment or training
2001 2002 2003 January — 45,215 133,089 February — 44,808 130,399 March — 45,628 126,684 April 24,747 61,502 103,543 May 23,331 60,329 97,479 June 24,794 62,577 87,808 July 28,737 64,865 88,017 August 30,469 65,284 87,091 September 45,692 118,081 117,487
Number of 16 to 18-year-olds known by the Connexions Service not to be in education, employment or training
2001 2002 2003 October 44,989 130,083 114,687 November 44,095 131,906 109,198 December 44,164 126,423 101,771 Notes: 1. Connexions Partnerships were rolled out over two years, with the first 15 Partnerships going live in 2001; 13 becoming operational between April and June 2002 and 16 between September and November 2002. The three remaining Partnerships became operational in 2003. 2. Data for April 2001 to March 2002 is for 16 to 19-year-olds. Data for 16–18 year olds was not available. 3. The number of 16 to 18-year-olds not in education, employment or training increases in September each year as summer school leavers enter the labour market for the first time.
§ Charles HendryTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills whether it is his Departments policy to assess the impact of the Connexions service upon previously existing services for young people. [154783]
§ Margaret HodgeThe impact of Connexions on previously existing services has been tested through a survey of 'stakeholders'—individuals and representatives of partner organisations on the Connexions Partnership Boards and Local Management Committees (e.g. local authorities, the police, health and social services, voluntary and community organisations and employers).
The survey of local partners in January 2003 found that a large majority (83 per cent.) believed that the objectives of Connexions were consistent with those of their own organisation and over 60 per cent. agreed that Connexions helped their organisation meet its own targets and objectives. Nearly eight out of 10 local partners thought that joint working between agencies providing services to young people in their areas was effective compared with 40 per cent. prior to the establishment of Connexions Partnerships.
§ Charles HendryTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many Connexions clients there are, broken down by(a) social class and (b) ethnic origin. [154793]
§ Margaret HodgeInformation on the social class of Connexions clients is not collected by Connexions Partnerships.
Information on the ethnic origin of Connexions clients of compulsory education age (i.e. those in school years 8–11) is not collected by Connexions Partnerships. Information on the ethnic origin of those Connexions clients who have completed school year 11 in 2003 or earlier is collected by Partnerships and is shown in the following table.
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Number Connexions clients who are of post compulsory education age (December 2003)
2,300,364 White total 1,699,787 White British 1,545,354 White Irish 5,464 Other white background 59,824 White not known 89,145 White and black Caribbean 7,129
Number Mixed race total 24,009 White and Black African 2,683 White and Asian 5,317 Other mixed background 8,880 Black or black British total 74,018 Black Caribbean 28,869 Black African 27,335 Other black background 17,814 Asian or Asian British total 132,021 Indian 51,182 Pakistani 49,063 Bangladeshi 19,467 Other Asian background 12,309 Chinese 8,643 Other 44,876 No ethnic information 317,010
§ Charles HendryTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the total cost of marketing the Connexions service has been in each year since its establishment. [154808]
§ Margaret HodgeSince the establishment of the Connexions service in April 2001, the breakdown of spend on marketing and advertising for each year of its existence is as follows:
1Marketing and advertising 2001–02 889,073 2002–03 23,266,489 2003–04 (total committed to beginning February)
33,241,000 1i.e. radio, cinema, TV advertising, campaign extension, Connexions publications, conferences) 2Includes £226,850 for Connexions Direct 3Includes £60,317 for Connexions Direct This breakdown is for central budgets only. Data is collected centrally on the broad areas of Partnerships' expenditure but not at a level detailed enough to enable identification of how much has been spent on marketing and advertising.
§ Charles HendryTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many staff are employed by the Connexions service, broken down by(a) job title and (b) area partnership. [154809]
§ Margaret Hodge[holding answer 12 February 2004]: The following table shows the total number of staff employed by each Connexions Partnership in December 2003. Information on the number of staff employed by each Connexions Partnership by job title is not available.
Figures are expressed as "full-time equivalent" posts.
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Total England 14,071.1 South East 2,163.2 Berkshire 157.6 South Central 862.1 Kent 268.7 Milton Keynes Ox and Bucks 261.2 Surrey 140.6 Sussex 473.0
Total London 1,691.3 Central London 390.5 North London 250.6 South London 229.0 East London 455.8 West London 365.4 East of England 1,060.2 Bedfordshire and Luton 123.7 Cambs and Peterborough 163.6 Essex Southend and Thurrock 293.5 Hertfordshire 198.8 Norfolk 134.0 Suffolk 146.6 South West 1,146.1 Bournemouth Dorset and Poole 128.8 Cornwall and Devon 362.3 Gloucestershire 102.6 Somerset 138.3 West of England 302.1 Wiltshire and Swindon 112.0 West Midlands 1,901.3 Birmingham and Solihull 457.4 Black Country 372.9 Coventry and Warwick 285.2 Hereford and Worcester 296.3 Shropshire Telford and Wrekin 160.2 Staffordshire 329.3 East Midlands 1,096.4 Derbyshire 284.9 Leicestershire 222.5 Lincolnshire and Rutland 188.1 Northamptonshire 135.9 Nottinghamshire 265.0 Yorks and Humber 2,043.7 Humber 329.4 York and North Yorkshire 132.2 South Yorkshire 417.3 West Yorkshire 1,164.8 North West 2,092.7 Cheshire and Warrington 249.6 Cumbria 201.6 Greater Manchester 816.8 Greater Merseyside 401.3 Lancashire 423.4 North East 876.2 County Durham 168.5 Northumberland 89.4 Tees Valley 245.0 Tyne and Wear 373.3 Source: NEXUS Data at December 2003.