§ Mrs. Renée Shortasked the Secretary of State for Employment (1) how many women took part in the training opportunities programme in each year since 1975; and what proportion of the total numbers undergoing such courses this represented in each case;
(2) if he will list all the training opportunities programme for each year since 1975; and how many men and women undertake these courses each year.
§ Mr. Jim Lester[pursuant to his reply, 24 July 1980, c. 304–5]: I am informed by the Manpower Services Commission that for each year since 1975 the total number of people completing training under the training opportunities scheme and the proportion of women included was as follows:
16W
TOPS COMPLETIONS BY SEX AND BY COURSE GROUPS 1977 1978 1979 Course Groups Women Men Woman Men Woman Men Management … … … 753 3,122 617 3,034 880 3,437 Management Services … … 558 2,064 584 2,031 891 2,731 Education, Health etc. … … 1,345 713 946 531 1,163 524 Science and Technology … … 146 964 135 901 202 1,169 Clerical … … … … 10,667 2,092 11,251 1,841 12,809 1,675 Shorthand and Typing … … 17,361 328 14,486 233 15,526 329 Office Machine Operating … 1,198 257 1,016 407 1,735 650 Selling … … … … 1,907 331 2,347 389 2,618 353 Food Preparation/Serving … 1,623 858 1,952 940 2,258 1,065 Hairdressing/Cleaning … … 501 214 349 178 428 144 Farming, Fishing … … … 138 624 103 589 137 724 Materials Processing excluding Metal … … … … 84 193 113 168 60 179 Metal Making etc. … … 306 16,324 261 16,775 351 16,101 Welding … … … … 36 3,146 14 3,324 18 3,169 Electrical Making/Repair … 179 3,244 211 3,011 195 2,790 Other Making/Repair … … 1,187 749 1,426 635 1,573 645 Carpentry and Joinery … … 27 2,349 15 2,414 25 2,395 Assembling etc. … … … 33 679 51 645 37 705 Construction … … … 37 4,688 37 5,226 57 5,663 HGV Driving … … … 88 4,920 63 4,153 62 3,731 Miscellaneous … … … 2,707 5,492 3,055 6,285 4,993 7,074 Total … … … 40,881 53,351 39,032 53,710 46,018 55,254 All figures include young people under 19.
Year Total completions Women Proportion of women as percentage of total 1975 60,724 26,873 44.25 1976 89,651 39,879 44.48 1977 94,232 40,881 43.38 1978 92,742 39,032 42.09 1979 101,272 46,018 45.44 These figures include both completions under the training opportunities scheme itself and completions by young people aged 16–18. Training arrangements for these young people have been undertaken since 1978 as part of the youth opportunities programme.
The number of different types of courses available was 524 in April 1980 (the latest month for which figures are available). Detailed lists of courses for each year could not be produced except at disproportionate cost. However, a copy of the latest edition of the TOPS course register which lists all courses currently available has been placed in the library.
The MSC regrets that information on the numbers of men and women attending each of the individual courses in the register is not readily available, but the following table provides the information required by broad course groups for the years 1977 to 1979. Comparable information is not readily available for earlier years.