§ Judy MallaberTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what action his Department is taking to support training in the clothing and textiles industry to follow up the Strategic Training in Apparel and Textiles programme. [113392]
§ Mr. Ivan LewisDfES in partnership with the Learning and Skills Council, Department of Trade and Industry, Small Business Service and Skillfast-UK (the Sector Skills Council for the industry), have developed FAST Forward a business support and training pilot that gives apparel, footwear and textiles manufacturers direct access to skills training to support strategic business change.
The aim of the 12 month pilot will be to develop a sustainable approach to business support and training provision for the industry. It opens up the potential for employers to work with the Learning and Skills Council to develop the range of specialist sector training provision available.
FAST Forward was launched on 26 March and will build on the successful experience of Strategic Training for Apparel and Textiles (STAT).