asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many persons have completed courses in Government training centres in each of the past three years; how many of these found employment immediately following their course; how many found employment within one month; and how many are still unemployed.

I am informed by the Manpower Services Commission that the numbers of people who completed courses at skillcentres—formerly Government training centres—during the past three years are as follows.

1974	…	…	…	17,117
1975	…	…	…	18,737
1976	…	…	…	22,692

The number of ex-skillcentre trainees who were placed or known to have found work immediately on completing training during 1974 and 1975 were 13,823 and 11,198 respectively. A further 1,965 trainees in 1974 and 2,923 in 1975 were known to have found employment after completing training.It is not known exactly how many trainees found employment within one month or how many are still unemployed. Corresponding figures for the whole of 1976 are not available. A sample survey of ex-skillcentre trainees completing training in June and July 1976 showed that four to five months after completing training 74 per cent. had found employment in which they considered they made use of their training and another 10 per cent. had found other employment.