HC Deb 05 February 1987 vol 109 cc761-3W
Mr. Ron Davies

asked the Paymaster General which industry-led bodies have been organised to set the standards of competence for the job training scheme.

Mr. Kenneth Clarke

Acting on the recommendations of the White Paper "Working Together—Education and Training" (Cmnd. 9823), the Manpower Services Commission has set in hand a programme involving industry bodies, examining and validating bodies and officials from the National Council for Vocational Qualifications to accelerate work to provide accreditation based on standards of competence for training programmes. The programme will begin by identifying existing vocational qualifications suitable for JTS.

  • Many industry bodies are involved, including:
  • National Retail Training Consortium
  • Institute of Grocery Distribution
  • Administrative Business and Commercial Training Group
  • National Computing Centre
  • Computing Services Industry Training Council
  • Hairdressing Training Board
  • Hotel and Catering Training Board
  • Hotel and Catering Institutional Management Association
  • Agricultural Training Board
  • Knitting and Lace Training Board
  • Clothing and Allied Products Industry Training Board
  • Construction Industry Training Board
  • Road Transport Industry Training Board
  • Engineering Industry Training Board

Mr. Ron Davies

asked the Paymaster General in what proportion of the schemes in the job training scheme pilot areas managing agents have sought the support and involvement of trades unions prior to making job placements.

Mr. Kenneth Clarke

This information is not available.

Mr. Ron Davies

asked the Paymaster General what plans he has to review, monitor and evaluate the job training scheme in its 10 pilot areas.

Mr. Kenneth Clarke

An interim evaluation is underway. The sub-group of the Manpower Services Commission which is overseeing the design, monitoring and evaluation of the new job training scheme will be considering longer term evaluation arrangements.

Mr. Ron Davies

asked the Paymaster General if he will specify, for each of the job training scheme pilot areas (a) the number of trainees involved, (b) the number of hours of training received, (c) the location of the training and the occupational areas involved, (d) the range in the size of the firms providing job placements, (e) the qualifications being sought by trainees and (f) the dropout rate of trainees.

Mr. Kenneth Clarke

The job training scheme pilots involve a variety of individual training programmes tailored to the needs of the people concerned based on an individual assessment of the training needs of each trainee, and the qualifications which are to be sought. The programme provided is a combination of directed training and practical experience, organised to produce the most effective results. Information about the number of hours of training received, the location of training provided, the range in the size of firms providing practical experience placements and qualifications being sought by trainees will be evaluated regularly by independent researchers. A first report is expected in the spring.

The following table shows, for each of the pilot areas, the number of entrants since the pilot programme began and the numbers in training in the week ending 30 January. A total of 15.5 per cent. left before the end of the scheme but this figure includes a number of people who left because they had found a job.

Pilot area Cumulative number of starts Number in-training
Dundee 124 114
Billingham 86 67
Huddersfield 100 85

Pilot area Cumulative number of starts Number in-training
Preston 160 128
Stoke 141 128
Leicester 53 52
Port Talbot 160 130
Plymouth 218 172
Crawley 94 83
Ealing 57 49
Total 1,193 1,008

Ms. Clare Short

asked the Paymaster General how many entrants and filled places there were to the new job training scheme in each of the nine pilot areas at 6 January and the most recently available date.

Mr. Kenneth Clarke

[pursuant to his reply, 4 February 1987]: I regret that my previous reply did not include the figures for Preston which is one of the nine original pilot areas. They are as follows:

Preston
Number
9 January
Entrants 104
on Scheme 81
23 January
Entrants 138
On Scheme 106

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