§ Mr. Andrew SmithTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what representations he has had from the electronics industry on the subject of skills shortages.
§ Mr. Douglas HoggThere have been no direct representations from the electronics industry on skills shortages during the past two months, but there have, in the past, been approaches with regard to IT skills shortages. In recognising this my Department announced support of up to £440,000 over three years for the recently launched Women into Information Technology (WIT)586W campaign, where this support is appropriately matched by industry. My Department supports a programme aimed at stimulating the production of distance learning video courses on subjects directly relating to skills in microelectronics, information technology, and their applications. Support is also being given to an industry-further education collaborative programme aimed at producing interactive video courses relating, in the main, to IT skills.
My Department also has an information technology advisory board (ITAB) with representatives from industry, commerce and academia. One of ITAB's support committees advises specifically on education and training and comments on IT skills issues.