§ Mr. ChaytorTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry in respect of retraining needs in the airline and aerospace industries; what budgets she has made available to assist with such retraining; and if she will make a statement. [27547]
§ Mr. Nicholas Brown[holding answer 23 January 2002]: I have been asked to reply.
The airline and aerospace industries have been affected by a number of closures and job losses in recent months. The Government have been proactive in working, in regional and local partnerships, to support those people affected by providing the most appropriate service to help them back into work and to retrain them where necessary.
Retraining opportunities are offered to people who have been made redundant through Work Based Learning for Adults. In addition, Rapid Response Funding has recently been approved to retrain individuals made redundant from BAe Systems in the north-west and Gill Aviation in the north-east. The Learning and Skills Council (LSC) are also offering support—for example, at Gatwick and Heathrow LSC funding has been provided for one to one advice sessions for clients facing particular employment problems, and to support their training needs.