§ Mr. CoxTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many(a) boys and (b) girls are taking apprenticeships within the construction industry in England and Wales. [33559]
§ Mr. WilsonThe spring 2001 Labour Forces Survey estimates that 47,000 people are currently doing recognised trade apprenticeships in construction. This is almost twice the number undertaking apprenticeships in 1996. It is not possible to split the figures down by gender because the sample size is too small. The survey also shows that of those currently working in construction, 800,000 people have completed or are still on apprenticeship schemes, of these 6,000 are female. The figures should be treated as indicative and are likely to be underestimates, as people taking apprenticeships tend to be young and mobile and do not always show up on surveys.