HC Deb 13 February 2002 vol 380 cc424-5W
Mr. Woodward

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what percentage of teachers have received training for the internet in(a) St. Helens, South, (b) St. Helens MBC area,(c) Merseyside,(d) Manchester, (e) the North West RDA area, (f) the other RDA areas and (g) England. [35422]

John Healey

Training for the Internet is covered by the nationally run New Opportunities Fund (NOF) Information and Communications Technology (ICT) teacher training programme. Schools have until the end of March this year to sign up for the NOF training and over 95 per cent. have already done so.

The information relating to the numbers of teachers who have completed the training is not available by the regional areas requested. However, the figures available as at 31 December 2001 show that 83 per cent. of all teachers in England have registered for, or are currently undertaking, the NOF training and 52 per cent. of all teachers have completed it. Teachers may have also undertaken locally organised training in the use of the internet but figures are not collected on these training schemes centrally. All newly qualified teachers entering the profession will have received training in the use of the internet as part of their initial teacher training.