§ Mr. WorthingtonTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what percentage of the long-term unemployed have been on Government training schemes in each of the last five years.
§ Mr. StewartThis information is not available.
§ Mr. WorthingtonTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what were the allowances paid to 16 and 17-year-olds on youth training or its equivalent in each of the last 10 years in real and constant price terms.
§ Mr. StewartThe information requested is set out in the table:
Cash £ 1993–94 Prices £ 1991–92 2,658 2,850 1992–93 2,824 2,916 11993–94 2,633 2,633 1 estimated.
§ Mr. WorthingtonTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what consideration has been given to informing hon. Members of the unit cost of training places placed by LECs in their areas.
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§ Mr. StewartThe cost of training places is a commercial contractual matter between the local enterprise companies and their training providers. I have no plans to collect this information centrally for the information of hon. Members.
§ Mr. WorthingtonTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what rights of appeal exist for a trainee against the quality of training offered by a local enterprise company.
§ Mr. StewartScottish Enterprise and Highlands and Islands Enterprise are required to ensure that all local enterprise companies operate a complaints procedure for dealing with all complaints made to them, and to satisfy themselves from time to time that the complaints procedure is being operated properly by the local enterprise companies.
Specific details of these complaints procedures, including right of appeal for a trainee against the quality of training being offered, are a matter between the individual local enterprise company and Scottish Enterprise or Highlands and Islands Enterprise.
§ Mr. WorthingtonTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what consideration has been given to informing hon. Members of which firms tendered for training contracts to LECs; and at what prices.
§ Mr. StewartI have no plans for informing hon. Members which firms tendered for training contracts. This, and the price paid for training, is a commercial contractual matter between the local enterprise companies and their training providers.
§ Mr. WorthingtonTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what information is available about the cost, quality, range and outcomes of Government training schemes at local enterprise company, Scottish Enterprise and Scottish Office levels.
§ Mr. StewartThe information available at local enterprise company and Scottish Enterprise level is an operational matter for these organisations and I will ask the chairman of Scottish Enterprise to write to the hon. Member.
The information held at Scottish Office level for youth and adult training is as follows:—
Cost Youth training Adult training (training for work) £ million £ million 1992–93 100.019 96.981 Outcomes
A wide range of management information is collected on youth and adult training programmes. The information is set out below:
- Youth training and training for work management information—
- Monthly
- Youth Training
- Total starts
- Starts in guarantee group
- first-time entrants
- leavers
- Training weeks delivered
- SVQ qualifications (or equivalent gained by:
- Word start
438 - Number start Foundation
- Level qualifications
- Level 1: endorsed category B young people
- Level 2
- Level 3
- Level 4 or above
- At end of period, number of trainees in training
- Additional Requirements for Skillseekers
- During the period, the total number of credits issued
- Training for Work
- Total starts
- Starts in:—
- a. Priority Group 1 unemployed for 12 months or more having been through an ES Jobplan Workshop
- b. Priority Group 2—people with disabilities
- c. unemployed 6 months or more but not in a. or b.
- d. others
- leavers
- Participant weeks delivered
- Training allowance weeks delivered
- For all participants, the SVQ qualifications (or equivalent) gained by:
- Word start
- Number start
- Level 1
- Level 2
- Level 3
- Level 4 or above
- Positive outcomes achieved shown separately by:
- i. employment
- ii. self-employment
- iii. further education or training
At end of the period, number of trainees in training
Quarterly
At the end of periods 3, 6, 9, and 12 the number of:
- Starts broken down by
- Male/Female
- Disability
- Ethnic
- white
- ethnic minority groups prefer not to say
- Endorsed
- Urban Programme Area (UPA)
- At the end of the period
- Employed status in training
- Endorsed in training (by category)
- In-training aimed at SVQ or other accepted Qualification at level 1, 2, 3, 4 and Wordstart/Number start foundation level qualifications (shown separately)
- Job outcomes for the trainees
- Job outcomes for the disabled
- Job outcomes for ethnic
- white
- ethnic minorities
- prefer not to say
- Additional Requirements for Skillseekers
- The total number of young people confirmed as eligible to use their credit
At the end of periods 3, 6, 9, and 12 the number of:
- Starts broken down by
- Male/Female
- Labour Market Returners Ethnics
- white
- ethnic minority groups
- prefer not to say
- Urban Programme Area
- endorsed
- disabled
- others
- At the end of the period
- Employed status in training endorsed in training shown separately by Category L or N trainees in training aiming at SVC or other accepted qualifications at levels 1, 2, 3, and 4 and wordstart/numberstart (shown separately)
- Job outcome for all trainees
439 - Job outcomes for the disabled
- Job outcomes for ethnic
- white
- ethnic minorities
- prefer not to say
Six monthly
At the end of the period the number of trainees in training shown by
- male
- female
- standard occupational classification (SOC) categories
- Age 16
- Age 17
- Age 18 or over
At the end of the period the number of participants shown by:
- male
- female
- standard occupational classification (SOC) categories
In respect of quality, the Enterprise and New Towns (Scotland) Act 1990 lays upon Scottish Enterprise and Highlands and Islands Enterprise the duty, which may not be delegated, of keeping under continuous review the suitability and adequacy of any training provided by agents of the two bodies.
§ Mr. WorthingtonTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what plans he has for an independent inspectorate to monitor the quality of training offered by LECs.
§ Mr. StewartMy right hon. Friend has no such plans. The Enterprise and New Towns (Scotland) Act 1990 lays upon Scottish Enterprise and Highlands and Islands Enterprise the duty, which may not be delegated, of keeping under continuous review the suitability and adequacy of any training provided by agents of the two bodies.
§ Mr. WorthingtonTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what contracts awarded to training companies have been cancelled on the grounds of poor quality.
§ Mr. StewartThe cancellation of contracts between local enterprise companies and training companies on the grounds of poor quality is an operational matter within the responsibilities of local enterprise companies. I have asked the chairmen of Scottish Enterprise and Highlands and Islands Enterprise to write to the hon. Member.
§ Mr. WorthingtonTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will place in the Library a copy of the procedures to be followed by local enterprise companies in the allocation of training contracts.
§ Mr. StewartLocal enterprise companies are encouraged to operate competitive tendering for their contracting for goods and services where feasible. Procedures for doing so, however, are a matter for Scottish Enterprise and Highlands and Islands Enterprise.
§ Mr. WorthingtonTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what consideration has been given to the possibility of future contracts between Scottish Enterprise and Highlands and Islands Enterprise and LECs permitting the latter to publish the price of training contracts.
§ Mr. StewartOperating contracts are a matter for the enterprise bodies. There is no provision in the current local enterprise company contracts preventing them from publishing the price of their training contracts.