§ 35. Mr. Michael McNair-WilsonTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment what measures he has introduced to encourage the creation of apprenticeships in industry.
§ Mr. CopeIt is for employers in the first instance to ensure the apprenticeship training that their industry needs. The Government encourage them to adopt cost-effective practices such as training to standards instead of wasteful time-serving. They also make a substantial contribution to support apprenticeship training by way of YTS. Through the scheme, the Government have made available more money than ever before for the training of young people—£1,036 million in 1987–88.
The extension of YTS to a two-year scheme has increased opportunities for all 16 and 17-year-old school leavers to benefit from the structured programme of training and work experience previously available only to those undertaking the limited number of apprenticeships then available.