§ Mr. Peter RobinsonTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will list the schemes operated by Government Departments in Northern Ireland which are designed to alleviate unemployment amongst school leavers; how many benefited from each scheme since its inception; and how many obtained permanent employment as a result.
§ Mr. AtkinsResponsibility for the subject in question has been delegated to the Training and Employment Agency under its chief executive, Mr. J. S. Crozier. I have asked him to arrange for a reply to be given.
Letter from J. S. Crozier to Mr. Peter Robinson, dated 16 April 1993:
You asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he would list the schemes operated by government departments in Northern Ireland which are designed to alleviate unemployment amongst school leavers; how many benefited from each scheme since its inception; and how many obtained permanent employment as a result. The Secretary of State has passed your questions to me, as Chief Executive of the Training and Employment Agency, for reply.I take it that your question refers to labour market measures. The relevant schemes are the Youth Training Programme (YTP), the Job Training Programme (JTP) and the Action for Community Employment Programme (ACE). Through YTP, all 16 and 17 year olds who leave school and are unable to find employment are guaranteed a structured programme of directed and workplace training, lasting up to 2 years, to enable them to compete for available jobs. I have detailed below the average number who each year have benefited from YTP since its inception in 1982 and the number whose destinations are known and who left to take up employment.
Average occupancy Leavers to employment 1982–831 8,035 214 1983–84 7,242 3,168 1984–85 7,381 5,017 1985–86 8,079 5,500 1986–87 8,658 5,686 1987–88 8,776 5,787 1988–89 8,880 6,428 1989–90 9,818 6,767 1990–91 12,914 4,223 1991–92 15,480 5,754 1992–93 13,793 6,672 109,056 55,216 1 September—March. Progression into full-time education is also considered a positive outcome for young people. In 1992–93 11% of trainees entered full-time education immediately after leaving YTP.
102WThe Job Training Programme and Action for Community Employment also provide training and employment opportunities to school leavers who are 18 years of age or over and who have been unemployed for 6 months or more. Total participation in these programmes and employment placements were as follows:
Job Training Programme Year Average Occupancy Leavers to Employment 1988–989 517 119 1989–990 1,743 600 1990–991 2,341 1,543 1991–992 2,912 1,813 1992–993 13,930 11,940 1 These are estimated outturn figures based on February 1993 figures.
Action for Community Employment Year Average Occupancy Leavers to Employment 1981–82 430 1— 1982–83 1,270 1— 1983–84 2,525 1— 1984–85 3,090 1— 1985–86 3,890 1— 1986–87 6,150 1— 1987–88 6,200 1— 1988–89 8,600 2,494 1989–90 10,000 3,420 1990–91 10,000 2,750 1991–92 10,000 2,800 1992–93 9,600 2— 1 No figures prior to 1989. 2 Not yet available. Unfortunately our records do not differentiate between school leavers and other adult participants of these programmes and I am therefore unable to give you a breakdown of these figures.
I hope that this information is of help.