§ Mr. SimmondsTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will make a statement on the Government's targets for the take up of(a) young apprenticeships, (b) apprenticeships and (c) advanced apprenticeships over the next three years. [173747]
§ Mr. Ivan LewisCurrently the Government have a PSA target for first time entry of 28 per cent. of 16 to 21-year-olds to apprenticeships and advanced apprenticeship to be met in 2004/05. At present we are on course to meet the target. Targets for the next Spending Review period from 2004, if they are to apply, are under discussion and will be published in a White Paper in July.
§ Mr. SimmondsTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how prospective(a) young apprenticeship, (b) apprenticeship and (c) advanced apprenticeship trainees will be matched up with appropriate employes. [173750]
§ Mr. Ivan LewisFor Young Apprenticeships, local Partnerships, involving schools, colleges and businesses will be responsible for the decision on matching pupils with employers. In doing so, they will take account of: the needs and maturity of the pupils; the demands of the programme of study; and the availability and suitability of placements with employers. Local Partnerships will be assisted in their search by relevant bodies such as the Sector Skills Councils and will make available to pupils access to local advice and guidance services.
For apprenticeships post 16 local Learning and Skills Councils will work closely with Connexions Partnerships to match young people with suitable employers and vice versa. To support the current national Apprenticeship marketing campaign the LSC has introduced a lead co-ordinating system across England for Apprenticeships, currently working with over 800 local and national learning organisations who are responsible for managing the interest from employers and in turn, matching this with potential young people.
In the longer term we will setup a clearing house system run by the LSC to match young people with employers more effectively.
904W
§ Mr. SimmondsTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will make a statement on the new apprenticeship schemes in the context of the recommendations of the Tomlinson report. [173751]
§ Mr. Ivan LewisThe 14–19 Working Group, chaired by Mike Tomlinson, has established an Apprenticeship Sub-Group, with the key objective to examine the relationship between Apprenticeships and the overall diploma framework. It is important to have a clear fit between the two.
The Apprenticeship Sub-Group, whose membership is drawn from Sector Skills Councils, learning providers and employers, the Adult Learning Inspectorate, Qualifications and Curriculum Authority, the Learning and Skills Council and the Department for Education and Skills, will make recommendations to the main Working Group for inclusion in the Final Report due in the Autumn 2004.
§ Mr. SimmondsTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and skills what minimum criteria will be required to start(a) young apprenticeships, (b) apprenticeships and (c) advanced apprenticeships. [173752]
§ Mr. Ivan LewisFor Young Apprenticeships the minimum entry criteria will be: good SATs in English, Mathematics and Science; good attendance and behaviour; and a demonstrable interest in the vocational area. Parents and guardians will also be asked to give their approval.
For Apprenticeships post 16 Sector Skills Councils will suggest minimum entry criteria related to the needs of their sector and the requirements of particular apprenticeship frameworks. As most apprentices are employed it will continue to be for employers to recruit according to their own entry criteria taking into account guidance from the relevant SSC.
§ Mr. SimmondsTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much his Department has spent on advertising the new apprenticeships scheme; and how much it intends to spend in each of the next three years. [173753]
§ Mr. Ivan LewisThis is a matter for the Learning and Skills Council. Mark Haysom, the Council's Chief Executive, will write to the hon. Gentleman with this information and a copy of his reply will be placed in the Library.
§ Mr. SimmondsTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what estimate his Department has made of the cost of re-naming and re-branding(a) foundation modern apprenticeships to apprenticeships and (b) advanced modern apprenticeships to advanced apprenticeships. [173754]
§ Mr. Ivan LewisThis is a matter for the Learning and Skills Council. Mark Haysom, the Council's Chief Executive, will write to the hon. Gentleman with this information and a copy of his reply will be placed in the Library.
§ Mr. SimmondsTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will make a statement on the funding streams available before the age of 16 for young apprenticeships students moving on to post-16 apprenticeships. [173755]
905W
§ Mr. Ivan LewisThe Department will make available up to £3.5 million for the Young.
§ Mr. SimmondsTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what estimate his Department has made of the number of over 25s that will register for(a) apprenticeships and (b) advanced apprenticeships in each of the next three years. [173756]
§ Mr. Ivan LewisOur Skills Strategy committed us to develop apprenticeships for adults to meet skills needs in response to employer demand. We are working with Sector Skills Councils that are either already licensed or expected to be so in the near future to trial appropriate provision. The overall number of participants will be subject to demand but we estimate that around 1,300 adults would be involved in initial sector trials in 2004/05. Sector agreements will determine numbers in the following two years.