§ Mr. CoxTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many(a) men and (b) women were in an apprenticeship scheme in England and Wales on 1 March. [114594]
§ Mr. WicksThe latest date for which information is available on those participating in Modern Apprenticeships and National Traineeships is 26 December 1999, when there were 143,300 in Modern Apprenticeships, 47 per cent. of which were women, and 72,700 in National Traineeships, 56 per cent. of which were women.
Modern Apprenticeships are a key part of the Government's response to the need to prepare young people for an economy based on high-level skills. We have recently announced a consultation on reforms to drive forward improvements to Modern Apprenticeships to enhance work based training opportunities enabling all young people to reach their potential and ensure economic success.
As part of this National Traineeships and Modern Apprenticeships have been renamed as Foundation Modern Apprenticeships and Advanced Modern Apprenticeships.