§ Mr. RuaneTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many(a) males and (b) females have been placed on modern apprenticeships since the introduction of the scheme. [140484]
§ Mr. Wicks500,000 people had started modern apprenticeships in England up to end June 2000 (the latest period for which information has been published), 51 per cent. of which were male.
Modern apprenticeships consist of Advanced Modern Apprenticeships (AMA) and Foundation Modern Apprenticeships (FMA). At end June 2000 there had been 360,000 starts on AMA (54 per cent. male), and 140,000 starts on FMA (54 per cent. female).