§ Mr. Andrew MacKayasked the Secretary of State or Employment what proposals have been put to him for support under the extension of the technical and vocational education initiative; and what decision have been reached upon them.
§ Mr. Tom KingThe technical and vocational education initiative is designed to stimulate the further development of technical and vocational education for 14-to-18-year-olds by providing resources for local education authorities to run pilot schemes.
After the initial round of 14 local education authorities, proposals have now been submitted by 68 local education authorities, which means that in total some 80 per cent. of all local education authorities have submitted proposals for support in either the first or second round. The Manpower Services Commission has recommended to me that, subject to negotiation, it should support 46 proposals which it believes will make a worth while contribution to the aims of the initiative. After consulting my colleagues responsible for education in England and Wales, I have agreed to the commission's proposals.
The 46 schemes selected for support in the second round of the initiative were submitted by the following local education authorities:
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Berkshire Isle of Wight Bolton Kirklees Buckinghamshire Leeds Bury Lincolnshire Cambridgeshire Mid-Glamorgan Cheshire Newcastle Cleveland Norfold Cornwall North Tyneside Coventry Northamptonshire Croydon Northumberland Cumbria Powys Derbyshire Richmond upon Thames Doncaster Shropshire Dorset Solihull Dudley Somerset Durham South Tyneside East Sussex Stockport Essex Suffolk Gloucestershire Sunderland Gwent Surrey Gwynedd Tameside Hampshire Warwickshire Havering West Glamorgan Acceptance of these proposals is subject to agreement on the terms for support in each case. It is intended that all the additional schemes should be in operation from September 1984.
Following consultations between the Government, the Manpower Services Commission and the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities, agreement has been reached on the detailed basis for extension of the initiative to Scotland, and the commission will shortly be considering specific proposals by education authorities in Scotland.