§ Mr. GillTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what plans he has to amalgamate national training organisations. [136822]
§ Mr. Wicks[holding answer 6 November 2000]: There are currently no specific plans to amalgamate National Training Organisations. We made clear at the recent NTO National Council conference our belief that a smaller and stronger network of NTOs is needed to make a greater impact on skills development. We will shortly be 198W consulting widely on the future development of the NTO network to better represent employer skills needs. The consultation will be completed by next spring.