Employment Training (Hansard, 16 June 1988)

§ Ms. Short
To ask the Secretary of State for Employment whether training managers under the proposed employment training scheme will be able to(a) charge trainees for any protective clothing, safety footwear and special equipment they may be issued with, (b) deduct any part of a trainee's training allowance as a deposit on any protective clothing, safety footwear or special equipment they are issued with and (c) impose any fines or deductions from any part of a trainee's training allowance for any trainee's unauthorised absences, lateness or irregular attendance.

§ Mr. Nicholls
Training managers will not be able to make any financial demands on trainees for protective clothing, safety footwear or special equipment, nor will they be able to impose fines or deductions from a trainee's training allowance.

§ Mr. Caborn
To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many placements on the new employment training scheme will at any one time he available for use by voluntary sector agencies.

§ Mr. Nicholls
Employment training will provide for about 300,000 trainees at any one time with about 600,000 trainees taking part during a full year. The emphasis will be on the individual training needs of trainees, and they may spend time in a variety of training opportunities during their period on the programme. I hope voluntary organisations will be extensively involved in employment training and so continue the valuable contribution which they have made to existing programmes. Training Commission officials are currently considering proposals from organisations interested in taking part.

§ Mr. Caborn
To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many voluntary sector agencies have indicated that they will not take placements under the new employment training scheme.

§ Mr. Nicholls
Employment training is a locally planned and locally delivered programme and the majority of discussions and negotiation with organisations which may wish to participate is being done at local level. There is no central record of organisations which have indicated that they either do or do not wish to take part. The voluntary sector has an important part to play in employment training and I hope most existing managing agents and sponsors will move forward into the new programme.

§ Mr. Caborn
To ask the Secretary of State for Employment (1) what alternative support will be offered to voluntary groups which are not offered placements from the new employment training scheme and to those which decide not to use such placements;
(2) what consideration the Government have given to the probable impact of the withdrawal of the community programme on voluntary agencies which provide community services.

§ Mr. Nicholls
The community programme will be replaced from 5 September by employment training. Project-based training will be an important part of the new programme, with some 194,000 project-based opportunities in the first year, broadly the present level of community programme provision. I hope that most308W current CP projects will move forward into employment training bringing with them the worthwhile services that they currently provide.
My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State recently met representatives of the National Council for Voluntary Organisations to discuss the scope for the fullest involvement of the voluntary sector in employment training. Discussions are continuing between officials, including the role of the voluntary sector in providing worthwhile voluntary activities for those participants who, at the end of employment training, do not move directly into a job.