Training Centres (Hansard, 4 November 1970)

§ 113. Mr. Willey
asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many places at Government training centres in the Northern Region were unfilled on the latest available date; and what steps are being taken to fill the vacancies.

§ Mr. Dudley Smith
There were 425 places unfilled on 28th October. Recruitment for construction trades is at present 383W severely restricted because of the level of unemployment in that industry in the Northern Region. To fill the vacancies in other trades, our officers are publicising the facilities locally, bringing the advantages of retraining to the notice of all potentially suitable applicants and drawing the attention of employers to our facilities for sponsored employee training.

§ Mr. McElhone
asked the Secretary of State for Employment what further proposals he now has in mind for the extension of industrial training facilities in Scotland, with special reference to an increase in training centres.

§ Mr. Dudley Smith
The tenth Government training centre in Scotland is to be opened at Dundee early in 1971. So far, there are no plans to set up further centres in Scotland. My right hon. Friend will shortly be making a general announcement about the future expansion of Government training centres and other training measures.

§ Mr. Le Marchant
asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will make a statement on the additional training measures announced in the White Paper on New Policies for Public Spending, Command Paper No. 4515.

§ Mr. R. Carr
The current programme bringing the number of Government training centres to 54 will be completed substantially by the Spring of 1972. During the following three financial years, 1972–75, we plan to increase the number of G.T.C. training Places by a further 2,000. The places will be provided partly by extending existing centres and partly by setting up new centres in areas for which the provision is at present inadequate. A new centre in the Portsmouth area and a major expansion of the Birmingham centre will form the first stage of the programme.
We intend to give a new emphasis to training to help the unemployed. There will be four important developments.
First, on 1st January, 1971, a new scheme will be introduced in the development and intermediate areas under which employers who engage and undertake to retain workers over 45 years of age who have been continuously unemployed for at least eight weeks will be paid grants to cover any necessary period of basic training 384W up to a maximum of 26 weeks. The rate of these grants will be £10 per week for men and £7 per week for women. These are the same rates as in the existing training grants scheme; but the existing scheme is limited to new and expanding firms in the development and intermediate areas, whereas the new scheme will apply to all employers in those areas.
Secondly, my right hon. Friends the Secretaries of State for Education and Science and for Scotland will consider with the educational interests concerned whether more adult retraining can be provided in colleges of further education by offering not only training in commercial and related subjects but also training in industrial occupations.
Thirdly, we shall provide new short courses at lower levels of skill within Government training centres.
Fourthly, we shall be prepared to enter into arrangements with employers under which they would use their spare training capacity to provide local training courses for the unemployed at Government expense.
The last three of these measures will not be limited to the development and intermediate areas.