§ Mr. PendryTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how much of the Further Education Standards Fund will be allocated to training in the hospitality and tourism sectors in the next 12 months. [98495]
§ Mr. WicksThe Further Education Standards Fund (FEFC) comprises in total x00A3;35 million in 1999–2000, £80 million in 2000–01 and £160 million in 2001–02. Its objective is to raise standards and quality in Further Education by rapid improvements in colleges causing concern; in promoting better teaching, learning, management and leadership; and in spreading best practice.
252WThere is no specific provision for hospitality and tourism in the Standards Fund. Hospitality and tourism are treated in the same way as all other curriculum areas. Those colleges offering these programmes may benefit, as do all others, from funding to help them address any weakness found during inspection.
The five colleges judged by FEFC inspectors to be outstanding in their provision of hospitality or tourism training during the last year are all eligible to apply for funding from the Standards Fund to help them disseminate good practice. It is therefore impossible to predict precisely how much funding might be deployed for better training in hospitality and tourism during the next 12 months.