§ Mrs. MahonTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment what proportion of adults on adult training have relevant workplace experience with employers.
§ Mrs. MahonTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment(i) how many unemployed people are unable to enter adult training because training in their preferred area is not available in their local training and enterprise council area;
(2) how many training and enterprise councils allow unemployed people access to training in areas other than their own if training is not available locally; how many training and enterprise councils have a budget for this; and how this is decided.
Mr. JacksonThe information is not available in the format requested.
Training and enteprise councils are allocated sufficient funds to meet the Government's guarantee of providing a training place on youth training or employment training for unemployed people who wish to enter these programmes. All young people over statutory school leaving age are eligible to enter and have a guarantee to receive YT training in Great Britain up to their 18th birthday.
The Government's guarantee to adults is for everyone aged 18 to 24 who has been unemployed between six and 12 months to receive an offer of employment training, a job interview guarantee, an enterprise allowance, a place in a job club or on employment action.
The Government aim is for everyone under 50 who has been unemployed for more than two years and all people with disabilities, to receive an offer of employment training, job interview guarantee, an enterprise allowance and a place in a job club or on employment action.
689WTECs are encouraged to be as flexible as possible in order to meet individual training needs. This can include funding training in other TEC areas if a TEC feels this is appropriate. It is for the individual TECs to liaise with each other when this situation arises.
§ Mrs. MahonTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment if administration of training vouchers will be the responsibility of the TECs, what funds will be available and what is the predicted financial impact on organisations which currently make no charge for guidance.
Mr. JacksonTECs will be responsible for the administration of vouchers for adult guidance issued under the "Gateways to Learning" pilots. The funding will be made available to TECs which successfully bid under the gateways to learning initiative to pilot improvements to the local provision of adult guidance and assessment and to test the use of vouchers for these services. The funds will also be used for central support to the pilots and for an external evaluation of the initiative.
Financial arrangements will be for local negotiation between the TECs and other local organisations involved in the pilots, including organisations currently offering guidance to adults without charge.
§ Mrs. MahonTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment what were the changes in funding from 1989–90, 1990–91 and 1991–92 for high technology national training courses for adults; and what effect changes in funding for training have had on provision at this level.
Mr. JacksonThe funding for HTNT for the three years is as follows:
£ million 1989–90 17 1990–91 20 1991–92 18 Provision has been maintained at broadly similar levels throughout the period.
§ Mrs. MahonTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment what proportion of trainees on adult training are finished early from schemes because there are no relevant work experience placements available.
§ Mrs. MahonTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will give details of how the £2 million for guidance and training voucher schemes will be spent.
Mr. JacksonThe funding will be made available to TECs which successfully bid under the "Gateways to Learning" initiative to pilot improvements to the local provision of adult guidance and assessment and to test the use of vouchers for these services. The funds will also be used for central support to the pilots and for an external evaluation of the initiative.
§ Mrs. MahonTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment what has been the reduction in employment training and youth training places over the last three years.
Mr. JacksonThe average number in training on employment training over the last three years and youth training scheme in 1989–90 and youth training in 1990–91 and 1991–92 are given in the table.
690W
Average in training: 000s Year ET YT 1989–90 203 367 11990–91 196 325 21991–92 149 326 1 Estimated. 2 Planned.
§ Mrs. MahonTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment what proportion of people entering adult training gain national vocational qualifications; and at what level.
Mr. JacksonTwenty-seven per cent. of all people leaving employment training gained a qualification or credit towards one. There is no information available about the proportion which are national vocational qualifications.
§ Mrs. MahonTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many unemployed people are refused adult training places because there are no relevant national vocational qualifications in place either in a particular vocational area or at an appropriate level.
Mr. JacksonThere is no justification for denying an unemployed person a training place on the grounds that no national vocational qualification is available. National vocational qualifications covering 40 per cent. of the employed work force at levels 1 to 4 are currently available. In order to fill the current gaps in NVQ provision, this Department issues listings of existing vocational qualifications which are accepted for use in adult and youth training until the appropriate NVQ becomes available.