HC Deb 23 July 1991 vol 195 cc528-30W
Mr. Andrew Smith

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will give figures for total public expenditure on(a) the Open tech project and (b) the Open college for each year since their foundation; and if he will make copies of each year's annual reports available in the Library.

Mr. Jackson

Expenditure on the Open tech programme was as follows:

£ million
1983–84 4.5
1984–85 18.1
1985–86 17.6
1986–87 14.4

Progress on the Open tech programme was reported in successive Manpower Services Commission annual reports which are available in the Library.

In respect of Open college expenditure, I refer the hon. Gentleman to my reply to him of 22 April, Official Report, column 365.

In common with other businesses, the Open college submits annual accounts, including a directors report, to the companies registration office.

Mr. Andrew Smith

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many students have completed courses at the Open tech and the Open college in each year since their foundation; how many have gained recognised qualifications; and how these figures compare with initial targets.

Mr. Jackson

Open tech was not an institution and did not register students. Projects set up under the programme had, by 1987 produced 34,000 hours of new material which had been used by about 65,000 people. Monitoring of usage ceased in 1987 when the programme ended, but many of the materials produced are still in use.

By the end of March 1991, the Open college had sold 179,106 course packs, some of which will be used by more than one student.

Although the open learning market is now well established, at the times when the Open tech programme and the Open college were launched, the size of the market was uncertain and therefore no initial targets for numbers of students were set.

Materials produced by both the Open tech programme and the Open college were and are linked to vocational qualifications wherever possible, but registration for qualifications is a matter for individual students and no central records are maintained.

Mr. Andrew Smith

To ask the Secretary of Slate for Employment what evaluation his Department has carried out on(a) Open tech project and (b) the Open college; if he will make a statement on the conclusions reached; and if he will make the evaluations available in the Library.

Mr. Jackson

The evaluation strategy for the Open tech programme produced a number of reports between 1982 and 1987. I am arranging for a full list of available reports to be sent to the hon. Gentleman and for those reports not already in the Library to be placed there. These reports, and experience since, show that the Open tech programme was instrumental in helping to establish an open learning industry which has given the United Kingdom a world lead.

The Open college is a business which produces annual business plans, based on market research and evaluation studies, and monitors performance against these plans. As with other businesses, these plans are commercial-in-confidence. The Department receives regular progress reports from the college and is currently setting up jointly with the college an evaluation of its impact on the training system. I will make sure that copies of the evaluation are placed in the Library in due course.

The Open college has played an important part in helping to maintain and develop a United Kingdom open learning industry.