Training (Hansard, 19 July 1994)

§ Mr. Allen
To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will examine the criteria for output-related funding to make possible payment for completion of component units of national vocational qualifications in order to ensure the delivery of appropriate training to young people with special training needs.

§ Miss Widdecombe
The Department is experimenting with the scope for using units of national vocational qualifications as part of output-related funding pilots with a number of training and enterprise councils. However, TECs are already responsible for ensuring that suitable training is available for young people, including those with special training needs.

§ Mr. Allen
To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what steps he is taking to develop a national policy on training which would enable the training and enterprise councils, the careers service, local authorities, educational institutions, training providers and industry bodies to co-ordinate fully the delivery of training to young people.

§ Miss Widdecombe
Training for young people is a strategic priority set out in my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State's vocational education and training strategy statement for Great Britain, "Prosperity through Skills" published in December 1993. Within this strategy, the development of specific initiatives such as modern apprenticeships requires all those involved in vocational education and training to work together at local, sectoral and national level. A copy of "Prosperity through Skills" is available in the Library.

§ Mr. Allen
To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what steps he is taking to secure an improvement in co-ordination between all those organisa-tions involved in the delivery of training to young people.

§ Miss Widdecombe
Improvement in the delivery of training for young people requires concerted action by all those involved in vocational education and training at local, sectoral and national level. A series of strategic level indicators, some of which are linked to the national targets for education and training, are set out in "Prosperity through Skills"—my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State's statement of vocational education and training strategy. Those indicators are intended to help planners and practitioners assess how vocational education and training activities are achieving progress in line with the statement, and identify scope for improved co-ordination. A copy of "Prosperity through Skills" is available in the Library.

§ Mr. Cox
To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many(a) men and (b) women were serving an apprenticeship with companies or industries within the Greater London area at the latest available date.

§ Miss Widdecombe
Available information from the labour force survey shows that, in winter 1993–94, 14,000 men resident in the Greater London area, who were in employment, were undertaking apprenticeships. The sample size does not allow reliable estimates for women in this geographical area. Information based on the workplace is not collected.