HC Deb 24 January 1980 vol 977 cc351-4W
Mr. Eggar

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if the Enfield skillcentre is to be closed.

Mr. Jim Lester

[pursuant to his reply, 18 January 1980, c. 890–91]: I am informed by the Manpower Services Commission that Enfield skillcentre is one of 20 skillcentres and annexes to be put to the commission later this month as candidates for possible closure. No decisions have yet been taken.

Mr. Eggar

asked the Secretary of State for Employment, if the Enfield skillcentre were to be closed, how many redundancies would result amongst the skilled instructors; to what use the existing facilities would be put; and where individuals currently attending the Enfield skillcentre will be trained.

Mr. Jim Lester

[pursuant to his reply, 18 January 1980, c. 890–91]: I am informed by the Manpower Services Commission that the closure of Enfield skillcentre need not result in redundancy for any skilled instructors. They would be redeployed to existing or future vacancies elsewhere.

There are no plans for alternative use of the premises. If the centre is closed, machinery, fixtures and fittings would be transferred to other centres.

Trainees who currently attend Enfield skillcentre could be trained at a number of alternative centres, depending on where they live—for example, Letchworth, Perivale, or the proposed new Camden skillcentre.

Mr. Harold Walker

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will list the occupancy and post-training placement rates of all skillcentres and skillcentre annexes.

Mr. Jim Lester

[pursuant to his reply, 18 January 1980, c. 890): The Manpower Services Commission has provided the information set out below. Column (a) shows the percentage of usable training time used by trainees under the training opportunities scheme (TOPS), trainees sponsored by their employers and young people for the five-month period ending 7 December 1979. The balance comprises trainingtime wasted because places were unoccupied or because trainees failed to complete their training. No account is taken in these figures of the 12.4 per cent. of skillcentre capacity which is presently non-operational because of shortages of instructors.

The placement rates shown in column (b) represent the percentage of trainees who found employment on completion of their training course for the quarter ending 31 December 1979, except where otherwise stated. A breakdown of the figures between skillcentres and their annexes is not possible in all cases. Figures for the percentage of ex-trainees who are in a job using their training skills three months after completion, which is considered a far more reliable and indicative statistic, are not at present available.

United Kingdom Skillcentres

  1. (a) Percentage occupancy last 5 months.
  2. (b) Percentage placing on completion quarter ending December 1979 (except regions marked where it is quarter ending September 1979).

(a) (b)
Scotland
Bellshill 70.6 27.0
Bellshill Annexe 79.8 *
Dumbarton 77.7 53.1
Dundee 73.2 41.7
Dunfermline 72.1 44.4
Edinburgh 85.7 52.6
Edinburgh Annexe 84.1 *
Glasgow (Hillington) 66.3 49.5
Glasgow (Hillington) Annexe 87.9 *
Glasgow (Queenslie) 82.9 56.3
Irvine 67.3 33.3
Port Glasgow 76.5 11.1
Northern
Billingham 62.4 64.0
Darlington 66.8 71.0
Durham 69.1 35.0
Durham Annexe 75.3 *
Felling 55.1 59.0
Felling Annexe 71.1 *
Killingworth 68.9 57.0
Maryport* 71.4 59.0
Middlesbrough 53.4 60.0
North West
Blackburn 76.0 92.7
Hindley 68.9 70.0
Hindley Annexe 75.3 74.2
Liverpool 79.0 54.2
Manchester (Denton) 68.0 81.4
Manchester (Trafford Park) 67.5 94.8
Preston 70.9 60.2
Rochdale 70.5 81.5
Runcorn 77.6 67.5
St. Helens 72.7 89.1
St. Helens Annexe 81.3 54.7
Yorkshire and Humberside
Bradford 83.0 80.5
Doncaster 66.0 68.0
Hull 71.1 50.7
Leeds 69.2 83.3
Leeds Annexe 62.6 *
Sheffield 60.6 90.1
Sheffield Annexe 67.3 *
Wakefield 67.0 91.1
Midlands
Birmingham (Handsworth) 66.7 64.6
Birmingham Annexe 70.8 *
Birmingham (Castle Bromwich) 60.2 80.4
Coventry 64.1 73.0
(a) (b)
Coventry Annexe 74.5 *
Dudley 68.1 85.7
Kirkby-in-Ashfield 65.9 81.6
Kirkby Annexe 65.3 *
Leicester 65.6 80.6
Leicester Annexe 80.8 *
Long Eaton 60.5 69.2
Long Eaton Annexe 77.5 *
North Staffs 70.1 83.9
Wolverhampton 72.0 76.8
Wolverhampton Annexe 65.5 *
Wales
Cardiff 69.5 55.2
Cardiff Annexe (Tremorfa) 69.3 47.1
Cardiff Annexe (Treforest) 82.4 24.1
Llanelli 62.3 45.8
Newport 79.8 74.2
Port Talbot 65.9 45.9
West Gwent 65.6 61.4
West Gwent Annexe 91.0 52.8
Wrexham 69.2 49.0
South East
Basildon 78.2 87.8
Basildon Annexe 85.3 75.0
Ipswich 73.5 76.7
Letch worth 72.6 89.6
Medway 73.3 90.2
Medway Annexe 66.7 81.1
Milton Keynes 74.2 93.3
Norwich 83.0 76.8
Peterborough 80.4 92.3
Portsmouth 71.6 84.1
Reading 79.6 100.0
Slough 69.4 73.2
Slough Annexe 80.0 75.0
Southampton 72.5 86.8
Southampton Annexe 78.8 95.0
West Sussex 61.0 98.7
West Sussex Annexe 66.7 *
South West
Bristol 74.9 86.0
Bristol Annexe 86.1 73.0
Gloucester 66.1 55.0
Gloucester Annexe 67.0 54.0
Plymouth 78.7 71.0
Plymouth Annexe 74.1 71.0
Swindon 73.5 100.0
Redruth 86.3 83.0
London
Charlton 61.4 100.0
Charlton Annexe 76.1 91.6
Enfield 54.8 77.8
Enfield Annexe 70.5 90.5
Perivale 59.0 91.8
Perivale Annexe 69.3 55.9
Poplar 63.7 81.7
Twickenham 60.7 88.6
Twickenham Annexe 70.4 91.7
Waddon 68.2 91.3
Waddon Annexe 81.0 86.7
* Combined Skillcentre and Annexe figures.

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