§ Mr. Richard Wainwrightasked the Secretary of State for Employment what is his Department's estimate, for the latest available date, of the number of apprenticeship places available for 16 to 18year-olds; and by what amount this figure has increased since that for 1970.
§ Mr. Jim LesterI am informed by the Manpower Services Commission that no recent statistics on the basis sought by the hon. Member are available. The latest year for which statistics on apprenticeship are available on a consistent basis with statistics relating to 1970 is 1974. I give below figures for the number of schoolleavers entering employment as apprentices in skilled occupations in these two years:
1970 120,700 1974 133,700 Until 1974 these statistics were collected from local authority careers services in connection with the issue of National Insurance cards to young people entering employment. The series ended in 1974 because of the abolition of National Insurance cards.