§ 28. Mr. Aitkenasked the Secretary of State for Employment what discussions he has had with the chairman of the Manpower Services Commission in regard to apprentice training.
§ Mr. Peter MorrisonI am in frequent contact with Sir Richard O'Brien and the Manpower Services Commission on training matters, including apprentice training. As I have said, I hope that proposals on a wide range of training matters will be published for consultation within the next few months.
§ 30. Mr. Needhamasked the Secretary of State for Employment if he is satisfied with the present arrangements for dealing with apprentices.
§ Mr. Peter MorrisonNo. It has long been thought by successive Governments, and by employers and unions, 369W that in many respects the present apprenticeship arrangements, hedged around as they are with restrictions such as those on age of entry and time-serving, are ill-adapted to meet our present and likely future skill needs. Under the training for skills programme the Manpower Services Commission (MSC), industrial training boards and other training bodies have been working with industry to reform apprenticeship and in some areas significant progress has been made. The Government and MSC are now considering what further action might be taken to encourage industry to improve its skill training.
§ 33. Mr. McNallyasked the Secretary of State for Employment what is the present trend in the number of apprenticeships available in British industry.
§ Mr. Peter MorrisonThere has been a downward trend in the number of apprenticeships available in British industry for many years. Most of the decline occurred in the period to the middle of the 1970s. Her Majesty's Government and the MSC are currently undertaking a review of industrial training arrangements to ensure that school leavers in the 1980s have the best available opportunities for successful and challenging careers.