HC Deb 03 December 1996 vol 286 cc608-9W
Mr. Bryan Davies

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many national vocational qualifications awarded by the end of December 1995 were gained through programmes and assessment in(a) schools or further education and sixth form[...]fleges and (b) workplaces. [6943]

Mr. Paice

According to the National Council for Vocational Qualifications 1,045,687 national vocational qualifications—NVQs—had been awarded by the end of December 1995.

Comprehensive information on the number of NVQs gained through programmes and assessment by type of centre is not available. However the national information system for vocational qualifications collects data on all vocational qualifications from four of the largest awarding bodies and so can provide information on about half of NVQs. A total of 29 per cent. of awards of these NVQs in the academic year 1994–95 were assessed in schools or further education, sixth form and tertiary colleges. Workplaces cannot be separately identified.

Mr. Davies

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many individuals had been awarded national vocational qualifications by the end of December 1995. [6940]

Mr. Paice

According to the National Council for Vocational Qualifications and the Scottish Vocational Eduation Council there have been 1,045,687 national vocational qualifications and 24,533 Scottish vocational qualifications awarded by the end of December 1995.

Estimates form the autumn 1995—September to November 1995—labour force survey show that 1.2 million people in the UK reported that they held an NVQ or SVQ.

Mr. Davies

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment, pursuant to the action plan on the implementation of the recommendations of the Beaumont report, what progress has been made with the development of a strategy for more complete and comparable statistics on vocational qualifications; and what changes to previous data collection and presentation procedures have been established. [6948]

Mr. Paice

The officials have worked with representatives from the National Council for Vocational Qualifications, the Scottish Vocational Education council, the Further Education Funding Council, the National Advisory Council for Education and Training Targets, the Welsh and Scottish Offices and the Northern Ireland Training and Employment Agency to draw up an information strategy for collecting and disseminating more comprehensive data about vocational qualifications. Consultation papers about this strategy were issued in November to a range of data providers and data users. Changes to data collection procedures will be agreed in consultation with data providers. The Department has continued to publish data on vocational qualifications in DfEE statistical bulletins.