HC Deb 05 December 1989 vol 163 cc198-200W
41. Mr. Patrick Thompson

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what percentage of those people who leave the employment training scheme find jobs; and if he will make a statement.

60. Mr. Bill Walker

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what proportion of employment training participants secure jobs after completing their training; and if he will make a statement.

81. Miss Widdecombe

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment whether he will make a statement on the pilot survey of the employment training scheme.

Mr. Nicholls

A recent preliminary survey of employment training leavers shows that 53 per cent. of the people who completed their training went into jobs or self-employment. Of those who did not even complete their training as many as 46 per cent. got jobs or went into self-employment. These encouraging early results provide further evidence of ET's continuing success in helping large numbers of unemployed people back into work.

Mr. Leighton

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many people for each year since 1975 were on(a) the training opportunities programme, (b) the wider opportunities programme, (c) the job training programme in its original and revised forms and (d) employment training.

Mr. Nicholls

The table shows the numbers of people who started on each scheme from 1974–1975 to 1988–89. The figures include those who started for a second or subsequent time.

Thousands
Year Training Opportunities Programme Wider Opportunities Training Programme Job Training Scheme Employment Training1
Old New
1974–75 45 — — — —
1975–76 61 — — — —
1976–77 90 — — — —
1977–78 99 — — — —
1978–79 70 — — — —
1979–80 91 — — — —
1980–81 83 — — — —
1981–82 71 — — — —
1982–83 73 — — — —
1983–84 80 — — — —
1984–85 88 3 — — —
1985–86 — 55 55 — —
1986–87 — 92 69 2 —
1987–88 — 88 49 99 —
1988–89 — 44 24 51 239
1 Employment training started in September 1988. The figure shown is cumulative starts for the period September 1988 to March 1989.

Mr. Leighton

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what is the current size of the client group for employment training.

Mr. Nicholls

It is not possible to estimate the total number of people in the employment training client group. However, in October 1989 some 812,000 claimants aged 18 to 60 had been unemployed for more than six months.

Mr. Leighton

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what action he intends to take in response to the Confederation of British Industry's proposal for giving every 16-year-old a £1,600 cash credit a year towards training.

Mr. Nicholls

There are many issues to be considered before any decision is reached on the recommendation in CBI's task force report in favour of training credits. The Government are examining the report's recommendations with interest.

103. Mr. Viggers

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will make a statement on the provision of training places by employers.

Mr. Nicholls

Employers are making a vital contribution to the succcess of both the youth training scheme and employment training through their provision of training places. Employer placements give trainees an opportunity to develop and demonstrate skills in a realistic work environment; ensure that there is a relevant and realistic occupational focus to their training and offer them the best chance of securing a permanent job or self-employment opportunity.

85. Mr. Ieuan Wyn Jones

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many people are currently participating in the employment training programme.

Mr. Nicholls

The latest figures show that over 210,000 people are on employment training.

79. Mr. Colin Shepherd

To ask the Secretary of Stale for Employment how many people are currently enrolled in employment training.

Mr. Nicholls

The latest figures show that over 210,000 people are on employment training.

72. Mr. Knapman

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many people are participating in employment training; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Nicholls

The latest figures show that over 210,000 people are on employment training. This clearly reflects the programme's outstanding success in attracting unemployed people to take advantage of the help it offers them to get jobs and skills.

66. Mr. Franks

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will make a statement on the progress of employment training in Cumbria.

Mr. Nicholls

Employment training in Cumbria, as nationally, continues to make excellent progress. It is currently helping nearly 1,500 unemployed people to obtain the skills and experience they need to get jobs.

54. Mr. Kennedy

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will revise the level of supplementary grant payable for employment training; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Nicholls

There are no plans to revise the level of supplementary grants payable for employment training (ET).

The Government believe that the level and number of supplementary grants currently payable is sufficient to provide training of good quality.

In future training and enterprise councils will be able to vary both the structure and level of payments to ET training managers.