HC Deb 17 January 1989 vol 145 cc171-3W
25. Mr. Harry Greenway

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will make a statement about the progress of the employment training scheme in inner city areas.

Mr. Nicholls

Employment training is progressing well in inner city areas, as it is elsewhere. Information on the numbers in training in inner city areas will be available at the end of January.

36. Mr. Battle

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment whether he will provide the latest available figures for(a) the numbers of places and (b) the numbers of trainees in employment training.

Mr. Nicholls

There is provision for up to 300,000 places on employment training once the programme is fully operational. At 6 January there were 111,000 people training on the programme.

42. Mr. Stevens

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many people are currently undertaking training on the employment training scheme; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Nicholls

The number of people training on employment training at 6 January 1989 was 111,000. This is a tremendous achievement after just four months of the programme's operation and is a reflection of the considerable interest shown by unemployed people in getting quality training to help them get back into a job.

48. Mr. Ground

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

Mr. Nicholls

Employment training has made a tremendous start. On 6 January, just four months after the programme's launch, there were already 111,000 people training on the programme.

58. Mr. Steinberg

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what proportion of places on employment training have been taken up by workers aged 50 years or more; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Nicholls

The information available is for those aged 51 years and over. So far, about 5 per cent. of all those joining the programme have been in this age group. The programme will continue to provide opportunities for unemployed people over 50 who want to improve their prospects of getting a job through quality training.

81. Mrs. Gorman

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what plans he has to meet the general secretary of the Trades Union Congress to discuss the employment training scheme; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Nicholls

I have no plans to do so. Employment training has made a very successful start with over 100,000 people training after just three months. The policy adopted at the last conference of the Trades Union Congress towards the programme cannot help long-term unemployed people to get back into jobs.

83. Mr. Quentin Davies

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will make a statement on his proposals to meet the skill shortages currently encountered by British industry and commerce.

Mr. Cope

I refer my hon. Friend to the training section of the White Paper "Employment for the 1990s", published last month. About 100 training and enterprise councils are to be established with this as one of their prime goals. The business growth through training programme also announced in the recent White Paper will help employers to develop strategies for the training and development of their staff in line with business objectives.

The Training Agency plays a strategic role in helping employers to plan and take action to develop occupationally specific skills. It seeks to develop young people and to help reskill unemployed adults with programmes to meet labour market needs. Both YTS and employment training are delivered in close collaboration with local industry and commerce.

88. Mr. Madden

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment whether he will publish estimates of the effects of his White Paper, "Employment for the 1990s", on employer-based training; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Cope

The aim of the new framework for training set out in the White Paper is to ensure that training is carried out to the scale and to the quality our economy will require in the 1990s.

97. Mr. Sumberg

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what representations he has received from Bury council on the employment training scheme.

Mr. Nicholls

My right hon. Friend has not received any representations from Bury metropolitan borough council about employment training. Bury college had a contract with the Training Agency to operate as a training agent for employment training. The decision of the borough council to terminate this contract following threatened industrial action by the local branch of NALGO is most deplorable. This cannot possibly be of any help to unemployed people in Bury.

113. Mr. Bradley

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment whether he will provide the latest available figures for those transferring to employment training from the community programme.

Mr. Nicholls

By the end of October 1988, the latest date for which information is available, a total of about 6,000 people had transferred from the community programme to employment training.

Mr. Leighton

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what percentage of employment training places are employer based.

Mr. Nicholls

At 6 January there were 111,000 people training on employment training. Information on the percentage of trainees in employer based training is not yet available, but will be available at the end of this month.