HL Deb 30 July 1980 vol 412 cc1031-2WA
Lord AVEBURY

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether they will re-examine their policies on training and careers guidance in the light of the projected rise in unemployment and its likely effect on black youth.

The Earl of GOWRIE

The Manpower Services Commission (MSC) provides work experience and training courses designed to meet the needs of its whole range of clients, including young black people. In addition to the normal monitoring of this provision which aims to ensure that it is modified to meet changing circumstances, I am informed by the MSC that it is at present formally reviewing all its services to the unemployed to examine what is currently done and how these services might be developed in view of the serious unemployment outlook.

Each local education authority careers service is responsible for providing realistic guidance to young people taking account of local and national unemployment and the circumstances of particular groups. Advice and assistance to authorities in the development of appropriate policies is available from the careers service inspectors of my department, the Scottish Office and Welsh Office. My right honourable friends the Secretaries of State for Employment and for Scotland and Wales are currently revising their general guidance to authorities in England, Wales and Scotland on the running of their careers services: the draft guidance, which is the subject of consultation with interested parties, points out that some authorities may need to appoint officers specialising in work with ethnic minority young people.

Concern has been expressed that a minority of young people, including black young people, do not register with the careers service or the MSC's employment service when unemployed. Research now being carried out into the operation of 20 "outreach" posts for work with these young people (wholly and directly funded by central Government but within the local education authorities' careers service) should cast light on the nature and extent of this problem and on how authorities might seek to tackle it.