Skip to main content

Training Opportunities Programme

Volume 990: debated on Monday 4 August 1980

The text on this page has been created from Hansard archive content, it may contain typographical errors.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment (1) how many women took part in the training opportunities programme in each year since 1975; and what proportion of the total numbers undergoing such courses this represented in each case;(2) if he will list all the training opportunities programme for each year since 1975; and how many men and women undertake these courses each year.

[pursuant to his reply, 24 July 1980, c. 304–5]: I am informed by the Manpower Services Commission that for each year since 1975 the total number of people completing training under the training opportunities scheme and the proportion of women included was as follows:

TOPS COMPLETIONS BY SEX AND BY COURSE GROUPS
197719781979
Course GroupsWomenMenWomanMenWomanMen
Management7533,1226173,0348803,437
Management Services5582,0645842,0318912,731
Education, Health etc.1,3457139465311,163524
Science and Technology1469641359012021,169
Clerical10,6672,09211,2511,84112,8091,675
Shorthand and Typing17,36132814,48623315,526329
Office Machine Operating1,1982571,0164071,735650
Selling1,9073312,3473892,618353
Food Preparation/Serving1,6238581,9529402,2581,065
Hairdressing/Cleaning501214349178428144
Farming, Fishing138624103589137724
Materials Processing excluding Metal8419311316860179
Metal Making etc.30616,32426116,77535116,101
Welding363,146143,324183,169
Electrical Making/Repair1793,2442113,0111952,790
Other Making/Repair1,1877491,4266351,573645
Carpentry and Joinery272,349152,414252,395
Assembling etc.336795164537705
Construction374,688375,226575,663
HGV Driving884,920634,153623,731
Miscellaneous2,7075,4923,0556,2854,9937,074
Total40,88153,35139,03253,71046,01855,254
All figures include young people under 19.

Year

Total completions

Women

Proportion of women as percentage of total

197560,72426,87344·25
197689,65139,87944·48
197794,23240,88143·38
197892,74239,03242·09
1979101,27246,01845·44

These figures include both completions under the training opportunities scheme itself and completions by young people aged 16–18. Training arrangements for these young people have been undertaken since 1978 as part of the youth opportunities programme.

The number of different types of courses available was 524 in April 1980 (the latest month for which figures are available). Detailed lists of courses for each year could not be produced except at disproportionate cost. However, a copy of the latest edition of the TOPS course register which lists all courses currently available has been placed in the library.

The MSC regrets that information on the numbers of men and women attending each of the individual courses in the register is not readily available, but the following table provides the information required by broad course groups for the years 1977 to 1979. Comparable information is not readily available for earlier years.