§ Mr. LlwydTo ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list the total amount of public support given to the modern apprentice scheme for Wales and for each county or training area; what proportion was spent by employers, training and enterprise councils and other identifiable groups for the last three available years; and if he will make a statement. [20377]
§ Mr. RichardsA total of £1.285 million was made available in 1994–95 to the seven Welsh TECs to support the introduction of modern apprenticeships. This sum was supplemented by a further £10.262 million for the purchase of capital equipment of which the Welsh TECs and other organisations in both the public and private sectors contributed £1.074 million.
Alongside this, colleges used some of the funding made available to them by the Further Education Funding Council for Wales—£144.985 million in 1994–95—to support modern apprenticeships.
The development of modern apprenticeships is fundamental to sustaining the competitive edge that Welsh industry needs to compete in world markets. In 1994–95, the first year of modern apprenticeships, I made manufacturing engineering a priority. In 1995–96, while continuing to give a high priority to manufacturing, I am extending support for modern and accelerated modern apprenticeships to other key occupational areas needed by Welsh businesses. These initiatives will allow for up to 3,400 young people to start apprenticeship training.
Figures in the following table set out the funding I made available in each of the TEC areas in 1994–95. No figures are available on the amounts spent by employers or other identifiable groups.
119W
Welsh Office funding TEC areas Programme costs £ millions Capital costs £ millions Additional contributions to capital costs by TECs and other organisations £ millions North West Wales 0 171 1.023 0 098 Powys 0 057 0 459 0 029 South Glamorgan 0 130 1.375 0 157 West Wales 0 384 2 420 0 180 Total 1.285 9 188 1.074