HC Deb 02 February 1994 vol 236 cc697-8W
Mr. Hunter

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (1) what was the cost per job outcome delivered by the Training and Employment Agency in 1992–93;

(2) what was the cost per non-vocational qualification delivery by the Training and Employment Agency in 1992–93.

Mr. Tim Smith

Responsibility for the subject matter 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. Andrew Hunter, dated 2 February 1994:

Parliamentary questions Nos. 84 & 91: The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland has asked me to reply to your questions about the cost per job outcome delivered by the Training & Employment Agency (No. 84) and the cost per non-vocational qualification delivery by the Training & Employment Agency (No. 91).

Question No. 84 I set out below the average programme cost per job outcome associated with the various Agency services and programmes. All figures relate to 1992/93.

Placements into employment The Agency was able to place 33,590 people into jobs advertised through its local offices. The average cost was £56 per placing.

Action for Community Employment The average cost per place on the Action for Community Employment (ACE) programme, which provides temporary employment opportunities for long-term unemployed adults, was £5,277.

Training programmes and qualifications The Agency's main training programmes are the Youth Training Programme (YTP) and the Job Training Programme (JTP). The main aim of the Agency's training programmes is to provide participants with training leading to qualifications. This is fully reflected in the Agency's targets. While the objective of training is to assist people to find employment, job availability on the Northern Ireland labour market is an ever-present constraint. The Agency's response to this constraint is to push for better qualifications to enhance job opportunities.

Youth Training Programme The average cost per job outcome of the YTP is £9,190. This average relates to training providers in the Community. Employer-led and Further Education sectors. The programme guarantees young people under 18 two years full-time training with work experience or employment.

Training Centres The average cost per job outcome for young people attending Training Centres is £10,926. The Centres provide training mainly leading to NVQ Level 3 and above.

Job Training Programme The average cost per job outcome of the JTP is £7,901. This one-year programme is designed to help unemployed adults to improve their job prospects.

Costs per job outcome: comment The number of jobs used to arrive at the above average costs per job is derived from the first destinations of trainees after leaving the YTP and JTP programmes. Relating expenditure on these programmes to immediate job outcomes can only partially reflect the worthwhileness of the training. We cannot take account of how successful trainees will subsequently be in obtaining employment.

Question No. 91

Non-Vocational Qualifications You also inquired about the cost of non-vocational qualifications delivered by the Agency. Non-vocational qualifications form an insignificant part of the Agency's overall programme delivery which is almost exclusively vocational. It is not therefore possible to segregate out the costs attributable to non-vocational qualifications.