§ Mr. George Rodgersasked the Secretary of State for Employment when the report of the Manpower Services Commission's Task Group on Vital Skills is to be published; and if he will make a statement on whether the Government accept the approach proposed by the task group.
§ Mr. BoothLast year the Government and the Manpower Services Commission jointly published a consultative document which proposed a scheme of collective funding of initial training in transferable skills as a means of improving the supply of skilled people which can act as a constraint on economic expansion. The comments received showed that the case for action was generally accepted but there was not sufficient agreement on the particular proposals to support their introduction. The Government and MSC therefore decided that the Commission should set up a task group, including representatives of the CBI, the TUC, the education service and industrial training boards to examine the problems.
The report of the task group is published today. It proposes an action programme to improve the amount and quality of training in skills needed by industry, to discourage a "stop-go" attitude to training and to prevent persistent shortages in skills from building up. Under the programme each sector of industry and commerce would assess its future manpower needs and take action to prevent possible serious skill imbalances from developing; the Commission would co-ordinate action where shortages in a particular skill would affect several industries; industrial training boards and other competent organisations would identify cases where they needed additional help; and the Commission would provide help once satisfied that it was really required.
The general approach proposed by the task group has been approved by the Commission and by the Government, including my right hon. Friends the Secre 600W taries of State for Scotland and for Wales who, with me, have responsibility for the Manpower Services Commission. The appropriate level of public support will not be clear until proposals have been developed and considered but I anticipate that up to £60 million annually might be made available as the public contribution towards the cost of these schemes and other key training in industry.
The new programme will come into operation by the autumn of 1979 on the basis of proposals from industrial training boards and other organisations to be sent to the MSC by the autumn of 1978. In the meantime there will be a final programme of special training measures for 1978–79.
We believe that the new programme marks an important advance in improving training arrangements both for young people and for adults and will help to ensure that industrial growth is not put at risk by shortages of skilled workers. It will now be important that all those concerned with recruitment and training in industry and elsewhere involve themselves fully and actively in drawing up and implementing plans under the new programme.