§ Mr. Litterickasked the Secretary of State for Employment how many retraining places currently provided under Government auspices are in the West Midlands Region; how this compares with the number available a year previously; and whether he has any plans for increasing the number in the foreseeable future.
§ Mr. Harold WalkerI am informed by the Manpower Services Commission that under the Training Opportunities Scheme (TOPS) in the West Midlands there are four Skillcentres, at Birmingham, Coventry, Dudley and Stoke-on-Trent. These provide approximately 1,000 places in skilled construction, engineering, electrical/electronics and automotive trades. On 31st May 1974 the number of places was 921.
There are also educational establishments in most towns in the region and employers' establishments, offering training in a much wider variety of occupations. A precise number of places in educational establishments cannot be given as, in addition to exclusive TOPS courses, TOPS trainees can be accommodated on an "infill" basis on existing college courses. There were 3,896 places on exclusive TOPS courses in the 1974–75 academic year compared with 2,896 in the previous year. There were 511 places in employers' establishments on 31st May 1975 compared with 609 places on 31st May 1974. The Training Services Agency 250W is constantly seeking to expand training facilities by arranging new courses with other employers.
New skillcentres are planned for Castle Bromwich and Wolverhampton by the end of 1975 with 304 and 210 places respectively. An extension of training facilities at Birmingham Skillcentre is under construction. The work is being done in two stages and when completed in 1976 the number of additional places there is expected to be 176. This will bring the total number of places in skillcentres in the West Midlands to approximately, 1,690.