HC Deb 03 July 1984 vol 63 cc113-4W
11. Mr. Soames

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what has been the response to the Government's proposals for adult training as set out in the White Paper, "Training for Jobs".

Mr. Tom King

I am pleased to say that the proposals for adult training in our White Paper, "Training for Jobs", have been broadly welcomed. By making better use of resources we shall be doubling to 250,000 the number of adults who will be able to receive training next year.

43. Mr. Freud

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what progress the Manpower Services Commission had made in the implementation of the initiatives outlined in the White Paper, "Training for Jobs".

Mr. Peter Morrison

The major new initiatives announced in the White Paper were in the areas of adult training and vocational education.

Developments on adult training include the launch of a joint programme by the Manpower Services Commission and the education departments of support for local collaboration between employers and providers of adult training and the start of pilots of new measures to be introduced into the commission's own programmes from 1985–86 onwards.

With regard to the new arrangements within vocational education, officials of the commission have been consulting with a wide range of bodies about how the moneys to be transferred to the commission should be spent.

51. Mr. Lightbown

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what progress has been made with the adult training awareness campaign.

Mr. Peter Morrison

The formal campaign will he launched in the autumn, following preparatory discussions between the major participants including Government, the Manpower Services Commission and industry. In the meantime, my colleagues and I take every opportunity to promote the Government's adult training strategy. Notably the themes of the campaign were put across at the Confederation of British Industry's conference on adult training on 18 April which my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Education and Science, the chairman of the Manpower Services Commission and I addressed.