§ 24. Mr. Jacques ArnoldTo ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will make a statement on vocational education.
§ Mr. BoswellVocational education is of key importance to achieving the national education and training targets, and hence ensuring a proficient and competitive work force. From next September the new general national vocational qualifications will be widely available and will provide a third pathway to qualification, alongside NVQs and A-levels. We want GNVQs in at least two subjects to be available in more than 1,500 schools and colleages and one in four 16-year-olds starting GNVQ courses by 1996. In the longer term I hope that around half our 16 and 17-year-olds will take these important new qualifications.