§ Mr. Skinnerasked the Secretary of State for Employment how many apprentices were taken on by the engineering industry in 1978–79; and what are the comparable figures for 1982–83.
§ Mr. Peter MorrisonThe number of first-year off-the-job craft and technician trainees registered with the engineering industry training board was 24,525 in 1978–79 and 10,559 in 1982–83. Progress by employers and trade unions towards reforming existing training arrangements, and public funding of first-year training under the youth training scheme, will mean that figures for those entering traditional apprenticeships will increasingly fail to reflect the extent of skill training being undertaken in industry.