§ Mr. WorthingtonTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many cases have been found by the Training Agency of agencies or managers claiming money for trainees who did not attend their schemes.
§ Mr. LangThe Training Agency's investigations have not revealed cases in Scotland where false claims were made in respect of trainees who did not participate in Employment Training, nor has it been offered substantive evidence of such cases.
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§ Mr. WorthingtonTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many inspectors the Training Agency has for employment training schemes in Scotland.
§ Mr. LangThe Training Agency has 115 staff in Scotland monitoring training agents and training managers, and six training standards inspectors. Financial checks on all employment training providers are carried out by the Training Agency's professional accountant. The Training Agency also employs independent consultants to undertake a range of quality development tasks.
§ Mr. WorthingtonTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many experts have been dispensed with since employment training schemes started.
§ Mr. LangSince employment training started the Training Agency in Scotland has not found it necessary to dispense with the services of any training agent for employment training.
§ Mr. WorthingtonTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many training managers have been dispensed with since employment schemes started.
§ Mr. LangIn Scotland the contract of one training manager for employment training has been terminated since employment training first started.
§ Mr. WorthingtonTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how much will be spent in Scotland on the employment training scheme in 1989–90 and 1990–91.
§ Mr. LangThe total planned expenditure on employment training in Great Britain in 1989–90 is £1,271 million. No separate detailed figure is provided for Scotland. However, the Scottish share is estimated at approximately £153 million. An equivalent figure for 1990–91 is not yet available.
§ Mr. WorthingtonTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) what action has been taken by the Training Agency to ensure that the traineeships offered by training agencies and training managers match Scotland's employment needs;
(2) what analysis has taken place of the skill deficiencies which employment training is remedying.
§ Mr. LangTraining proposals from prospective training agents and training managers are agreed with the Training Agency and form part of the final contract. Before agreeing to seek proposals the Training Agency must first be satisfied that they are in line with local labour market needs.
§ Mr. WorthingtonTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what action is taken by the Training Agency where the misappropriation or misapplication of public funds is suspected on employment training schemes.
§ Mr. LangIf misappropriation or misapplication of public funds is identified the Training Agency will undertake a full and thorough investigation.
§ Mr. WorthingtonTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what action is taken to ensure that all trainees on the employment training schemes receive the appropriate off-the-job training.
§ Mr. LangOff-the-job training provision is examined as part of the ongoing programme monitoring carried out by Training Agency staff under the approved training organisation process.
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§ Mr. WorthingtonTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what checks are undertaken by the Training Agency to ensure that those said to be on employment training schemes are actually attending.
§ Mr. LangThe ongoing programme monitoring by Training Agency staff under the approved training organisation process includes examination of records of attendance. The Training Agency has recently introduced a revised stringent system of checks.
§ Mr. WorthingtonTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what guidelines the Training Agency gives its staff on the frequency and volume of the monitoring of employment training schemes.
§ Mr. LangFrequent visits to training agents and training managers are undertaken by Training Agency staff in accordance with a sampling framework. The appropriate sample size for both training agents and training managers will depend on the size of the individual organisation and number of locations at which it operates. The frequency of visits will vary and will be governed by the agency's confidence in the organisation visited.
§ Mr. WorthingtonTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what independent research he has commissioned into the working of the employment training scheme in Scotland.
§ Mr. LangThe Government have not commissioned any independent research into the working of employment training in Scotland. However, the Government are aware of a study of employment training in Scotland, commissioned by the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities, the standing forum on special employment measures and the Scottish Trades Union Congress, which found that
despite the undoubted difficulties and drawbacks of current Employment Training, there are positive and constructive options developing which would, if taken further, lead to an improvement in the quality of Employment Training and in the longer term, to the development of an integrated policy on adult training operated through local enterprise companies".
§ Mr. WorthingtonTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what information he has about the nature of firms, voluntary organisations or other bodies offering placements on the employment training schemes.
§ Mr. LangIt is in the first instance for training managers to build up and maintain a database on appropriate placements for employment training; the Training Agency monitors this as part of its ongoing monitoring process.
§ Mr. WorthingtonTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what percentage of trainees on employment training schemes enter permanent full-time jobs as a result of their training.
§ Mr. LangThis information is not available in the form requested. The result of the first regular 100 per cent. follow-up survey shows that in Great Britain 59 per cent. of leavers who had completed their training went into jobs, self-employment or further full-time training.
§ Mr. WorthingtonTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland whether any agents or managers have been warned or dismissed for not providing the appropriate off-the-job training on employment training schemes.
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§ Mr. LangI cannot provide details of training agents and training managers who have been warned for not providing the appropriate off-the-job training because the terms of contract with training agents and training managers require such communications to be treated as commercial in confidence. No contracts have been terminated for reasons connected with the provision of off-the-job training.
§ Mr. WorthingtonTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland whether there are any controls placed on the methods used by training agents to obtain employment training scheme placements from employers.
§ Mr. LangIt is the responsibility of the training managers (not training agents) to negotiate placements with employers as part of their contractual responsibilities. The suitability of such placements is monitored by the Training Agency as part of its ongoing monitoring process.