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24 Feb 2009 : Column 606W—continued
| Table 3 —Apprenticeship starts in Cumbria local authority by gender | |||||
| % | |||||
| Cumbria local authority | 2003-04 | 2004-05 | 2005-06 | 2006-07 | 2007-08 |
Mr. Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how many people beginning apprenticeship schemes in each of the last five years in (a) Cumbria and (b) Copeland constituency had been unemployed for six months or longer. [255034]
Mr. Simon: Information on the long-term employment status of people starting apprenticeships is not available. The following table shows the total number of apprenticeship starts in Cumbria local authority and Copeland constituency for 2003/04 to 2007/08 but it is not possible to break this information down in to what an apprentice was doing prior to starting their training programme.
Since 1997 we have witnessed a renaissance in apprenticeships from a low point of 65,000 to a record 225,000 apprenticeship starts in 2007/08. Completion rates are also at a record high with 64 per cent. successfully completing an apprenticeship--up from 37 per cent. in 2004/05. A remarkable achievement.
| Apprenticeship starts in Cumbria local authority and Copeland constituency | ||
| Cumbria local authority | Copeland constituency | |
| Notes: 1. Volumes for Cumbria are rounded to the nearest hundred. 2. Volumes for Copeland constituency are rounded to the nearest 10. 3. Percentages above are based on unrounded figures. 4. These figures include WBL (apprenticeships only). 5. This table uses programme starts/completions as a measure for comparative purposes. Full-year numbers are a count of the number of starts/completions at any point during the year. Learners starting/completing more than one course will appear more than once. 6. Local authority and constituency are based on home postcode of the learner. Source: WBL ILR | ||
Apprentices: Hertfordshire
Mike Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what estimate his Department has made of the number of apprenticeships taken up in (a) Hemel Hempstead and (b) Hertfordshire in each month since January 2006, broken down by apprenticeship type. [242677]
Mr. Simon: Table 1 shows the total number of apprenticeship starts in Hertfordshire local authority from January 2006 to July 2007, by the month in which the apprenticeship was started. Figures are presented up to the end of the 2006/07 academic year, the latest year for which fully audited data is available. Information by apprenticeship type/level is too small to split by month in which the course has started.
Numbers for Hemel Hempstead constituency are too small to split by the month in which the course has started.
Table 2 shows the total number of apprenticeship starts in Hemel Hempstead constituency, Hertfordshire local authority and a total for all regions for the 2005/06 and 2006/07 academic years.
| Table 1: Apprenticeship starts in Hertfordshire local authority by month of start for January 2006 to July 2007 | |
| Month apprenticeship started | Total |
| Note: Local authority is based on learner’s home postcode. Source: WBL ILR 2005/06 and 2006/07 | |
| Table 2: Apprenticeship starts in Hemel Hempstead constituency, Hertfordshire local authority and all regions | ||||||
| 2005/06 | 2006/07 | |||||
| Advanced Apprenticeship (Level 3) | Apprenticeship (Level 2) | Total | Advanced Apprenticeship (Level 3) | Apprenticeship (Level 2) | Total | |
| Notes: 1. Figures for advanced apprenticeships include a small number of higher level apprenticeships. 2. Figures may not sum to totals due to rounding. 3. Constituency and local authority is based on learner’s home postcode. Source: WBL ILR 2005/06 and 2006/07 | ||||||
Higher Education: Apprentices
Mr. Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what steps he is taking to improve the collection of data on the progression of apprentices into higher education. [240272]
Mr. Simon: In order to improve the identification of those learners who progress from an apprenticeship into higher education we are exploring the possibility of linking administrative datasets. The early work looks promising and the Higher Education Funding Council for England is currently testing the methodology to ensure it is robust. The findings are expected to be published in 2009.
In World Class Apprenticeships we set out the Government's intention that every apprenticeship framework has a clear pathway to higher education and this will be a requirement of our revised Apprenticeships Blueprint when it is published in 2009. This will ensure every apprentice knows there is a clear pathway to higher education if they want it.
Higher Education: Finance
Mr. Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills when the commissioned reports from users of higher education were placed on his Department’s website; and how these reports were publicised. [258461]
Mr. Lammy: The commissioned reports were placed on the Department’s website on 16 February. A letter was sent to all of DIUS’s major higher education stakeholders from the Director General for higher education to inform them of the publication, and the sector press were informed. A feature on the reports was included in Times Higher Education on 19 February.
The reports are part of the wider debate on the future of higher education that DIUS is currently conducting. This will lead to the publication of a Framework for the development of Higher Education during 2009.
Higher Education: Women
Mrs. Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what estimate he has made of the number of women and children who do not have a first degree. [257612]
Mr. Simon: In Quarter 4(1) 2008 an estimated 338,000 adult(2) women in England had a child but did not hold a first degree. This estimate is taken from the Labour Force Survey (LFS).
(1) Quarter 4 covers the period 1 October to 31 December.
(2) Women aged 19 to 59.
Skilled Workers: Sustainable Development
Mr. Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what research his Department has (a) commissioned and (b) evaluated on the future skills needs of low carbon, resource-efficient industrial sectors. [255959]
Mr. Simon: The Department has not commissioned any specific research on skills for a low carbon resource efficient economy (LCREE), although we have consulted widely on this issue in other ways. In response to the Stern Review on the Economics of Climate Change, for example, we jointly sponsored the Commission on Environmental Markets and Economic Performance with BERR and Defra. Further consultations are planned with lead employers in the next few months with a view to drawing cutting edge LCREE expertise into the skills system.
The Department has reviewed a range of research reports on LCREE skills including:
Skills for a Low Carbon Resource Efficient Economy—Review of Evidence: Defra 2008
Energy Skills—Meeting the Challenge: a report for BERR by the Sector Skills network: 2008
Employment Opportunities and Challenges in the context of rapid industry growth: British Wind Energy Association October 2008
Today's Investment—Tomorrow's Asset: skills and employment in the Wind, Wave and Tidal Sector: British Wind Energy Association October 2008.
These reports have been instrumental in helping the Department set out a strategic LCREE skills solution in the proposed low carbon industrial strategy.
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