HC Deb 13 May 2004 vol 421 cc543-4W
Mr. Willis

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what progress has been made in reducing the number of adults without a NVQ level 2 or equivalent qualification by 2010; and if he will make a statement. [172976]

Mr. Ivan Lewis

Good progress is being made to reach our 2010 target of reducing by 40 per cent. those without a level 2 qualification (NVQ level 2 or equivalent). According to the Labour Force Survey, the reduction realised as of autumn 2003 was 5.4 per cent. from the autumn 2001 baseline. The interim milestone for 2006 is that there should be 1 million more adults in the workforce with full level 2 or better than in 2002. Autumn 2003 figures show an increase of 187,000 adults with at least a level 2 compared to the autumn 2002 baseline.

These figures are broadly in line with the planned trajectories for meeting the PSA targets for both 2006 and 2010.

The Skills Strategy White Paper (published July 2003) includes a wide range of interlinked measures to remove barriers to learning, support participation for individuals and increase the amount of training undertaken with employers. It set out our intention to introduce a new entitlement for any adult in the labour force to have access to free tuition for their first full level 2 qualification. We are working with the LSC on phasing in the level 2 entitlement, with phase one in 2004–05 and full rollout beginning the following year.

In September 2003, we started piloting the new Adult Learning Grant in ten local LSC areas, which offers up to £30 per week to adults on low incomes studying full-time for a first full level 2 qualification. Over 3,000 ALG applications have been received and over 2,000 awards have been made to learners. From September, we are doubling the size of the current pilot by extending the ALG throughout the SE and NE regions, as part of linked trials of key initiatives announced in the Skills Strategy.

There are currently 12 Employer Training Pilots (ETPs) which are testing new financial support measures to improve access to training and enable employees to attain basic and level 2 skills. By mid April over 49,000 learners and nearly 9,000 employers were engaged. The expansion of ETPs was announced in the Budget and ETPs will now be available in 20 LSC areas in England.

We believe that these and other related measures in the Skills Strategy will enable us to accelerate the trajectory towards meeting these targets.