Training (Hansard, 3 February 1992)

§ Dr. Kumar
To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will publish the average unit cost for(a) youth training and (b) employment training and the expected monetary contribution towards this from employers both for 1991–92 and 1992–93.

Mr. Jackson
In 1991–92, the average cost per filled place per annum is £2,700 for YT and £6,100 for ET, including allowances. We are not able to make the 1992–93 figures public until negotiations between the Employment Department, and TECs for 1992–93 contracts are complete, as to do so would prejudice the Department's negotiating position.
Employer contributions are estimated to be £627 per filled place per annum on YT and £420 per filled place per annum on ET in 1991–92. We expect an increase in employer contributions in 1992–93.

§ Dr. Kumar
To ask the Secretary of State for Employment for what reasons it was decided not to pay trainee allowance out of employment training but to include an allowance of £35 per week in the youth training unit price.

Mr. Jackson
Youth training must receive training allowances of at least £29.50 per week and £35 per week for 16 and 17-year-old trainees respectively. These allowances are paid directly to trainees by training providers from the funding available from training and enterprise councils.
Employment training trainees receive their previous benefit entitlement plus a £10 premium. Due to the direct link with benefit, employment training trainees are paid their training allowance by the Employment Service through the benefit payment computer system. It is therefore not necessary to include allowances in the employment training funding given to training and enterprise councils and providers.
35W

§ Dr. Kumar
To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what is his policy in this year's round of negotiation on reducing the youth training price to a figure below that of employment training.

Mr. Jackson
The prices paid to training and enterprise councils for youth training and employment training are set independently of each other and reflect among other things the differing nature of the programmes.