§ 26. Mr. DonohoeTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what assessment he has made of the impact of the proposed expansion of the modern apprenticeship scheme. [81016]
§ Mr. MacdonaldWe are well on the way to meeting the target of 15,000 Modern Apprenticeships by 2002 which was set in the Lifelong Learning Paper, "Opportunity Scotland". There are now 10,500 Modern Apprentices training, and 67 industry-designed frameworks in Scotland. Modern Apprenticeships will make an important contribution to raising skills in the work force.
From 1 July 1999, this will be a matter for the Scottish Parliament.