§ Mr. McQuarrieasked the Paymaster General if he will arrange to meet the chairman of the English Tourist Board 328W to discuss the job opportunities for young people in the hotel and catering industries and how these can be promoted to reduce unemployment.
§ Mr. TrippierThe English Tourist Board has already taken steps through its comprehensive "Handbook of Careers in Tourism and Leisure" to promote to young people the wide range of job opportunities available in the hotel and catering industries. The handbook, published in June, has been distributed to careers advisers and to secondary schools throughout England and will be reissued annually, together with information about relevant college courses and qualifications. In addition the ETB is in the process of producing a video on careers in tourism including in hotels and catering. I fully support these and the ETB's other initiatives to promote training and career opportunities in the tourism industry which are the subject of regular discussions between my Department and the board.
§ Mr. McQuarrieasked the Paymaster General if his Department will make a television film or video on the job opportunities for young people in the hotel and catering industries.
§ Mr. TrippierThe Manpower Services Commission, in conjunction with the hotel and catering industry training board, has produced two videos "Working in Popular Catering" which was launched in September this year and "Working in Hotels" launched just over a year ago. Both are aimed at young people interested in careers in the hotel and catering industries and are available through the MSC's careers and occupational information centre, Sheffield. The English Tourist Board is also in the process of producing a video on careers in tourism which is expected to be available early next year and will include a section on careers in hotels and catering. This is designed to be used in schools' careers education programmes and will be also sold through the MSC's careers and occupational information centre.
§ Mr. McQuarrieasked the Paymaster General what steps his Department takes to promote the job opportunities in the hotel and catering industries.
§ Mr. TrippierMy Department is already active through the jobcentre network and local authority careers service in promoting the job opportunities for young people in the hotel and catering industries and in tourism more generally. The statutory hotel and catering industries training board which my Department sponsors also plays a major role in the provision of information about hotel and catering jobs. Through the youth training scheme and other Manpower Services Commission programmes such as the job training scheme my Department seeks to ensure that young people are equipped with the skills and training needed to benefit from the increasing number of job opportunities which the hotel and catering industries have to offer.
§ Mr. McQuarrieasked the Paymaster General how many young people were employed in youth training schemes in the hotel and catering industries in England during November.
§ Mr. TrippierThe information requested is not available. However, the latest statistics show that from April to the end of September 1985 there were 5,135 youth training scheme entrants in the hotel and catering industries in England.
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§ Mr. McQuarrieasked the Paymaster General how many vacancies were notified to the jobcentres in England during the month of November in the hotel and catering industries; and how many of these vacancies remain unfilled.
§ Mr. Alan ClarkThe number of vacancies notified to jobcentres in England during the quarter 5 August to 8 November in the hotel and catering industries was 71,716. The number of unfilled vacancies at 8 November in the hotel and catering industries was 17,239.
§ Mr. McQuarrieasked the Paymaster General what steps are taken by his Department to alert careers officers in schools to the job opportunities for young people at all levels in the hotel and catering industries.
§ Mr. Alan ClarkHotel and catering is covered in "Occupations '86", the careers and occupational information centre's annual guide to opportunities and trends in employment which is issued free to all careers officers. In addition, my Department has written to all principal careers officers drawing their attention to the report by the enterprise unit on the tourism and leisure industries; and has arranged for officials of the hotel and catering industries training board to talk to regional meetings of principal careers officers about opportunities in the industry.