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 | ||||||||||
| 1977 | 1978 | 1979 | ||||||||
| Course Groups | Women | Men | Woman | Men | Woman | Men | ||||
| Management | … | … | … | 753 | 3,122 | 617 | 3,034 | 880 | 3,437 | |
| Management Services | … | … | 558 | 2,064 | 584 | 2,031 | 891 | 2,731 | ||
| Education, Health etc. | … | … | 1,345 | 713 | 946 | 531 | 1,163 | 524 | ||
| Science and Technology | … | … | 146 | 964 | 135 | 901 | 202 | 1,169 | ||
| Clerical | … | … | … | … | 10,667 | 2,092 | 11,251 | 1,841 | 12,809 | 1,675 |
| Shorthand and Typing | … | … | 17,361 | 328 | 14,486 | 233 | 15,526 | 329 | ||
| Office Machine Operating | … | 1,198 | 257 | 1,016 | 407 | 1,735 | 650 | |||
| Selling | … | … | … | … | 1,907 | 331 | 2,347 | 389 | 2,618 | 353 |
| Food Preparation/Serving | … | 1,623 | 858 | 1,952 | 940 | 2,258 | 1,065 | |||
| Hairdressing/Cleaning | … | … | 501 | 214 | 349 | 178 | 428 | 144 | ||
| Farming, Fishing | … | … | … | 138 | 624 | 103 | 589 | 137 | 724 | |
| Materials Processing excluding Metal | … | … | … | … | 84 | 193 | 113 | 168 | 60 | 179 |
| Metal Making etc. | … | … | 306 | 16,324 | 261 | 16,775 | 351 | 16,101 | ||
| Welding | … | … | … | … | 36 | 3,146 | 14 | 3,324 | 18 | 3,169 |
| Electrical Making/Repair | … | 179 | 3,244 | 211 | 3,011 | 195 | 2,790 | |||
| Other Making/Repair | … | … | 1,187 | 749 | 1,426 | 635 | 1,573 | 645 | ||
| Carpentry and Joinery | … | … | 27 | 2,349 | 15 | 2,414 | 25 | 2,395 | ||
| Assembling etc. | … | … | … | 33 | 679 | 51 | 645 | 37 | 705 | |
| Construction | … | … | … | 37 | 4,688 | 37 | 5,226 | 57 | 5,663 | |
| HGV Driving | … | … | … | 88 | 4,920 | 63 | 4,153 | 62 | 3,731 | |
| Miscellaneous | … | … | … | 2,707 | 5,492 | 3,055 | 6,285 | 4,993 | 7,074 | |
| Total | … | … | … | 40,881 | 53,351 | 39,032 | 53,710 | 46,018 | 55,254 | |
| All figures include young people under 19. | ||||||||||
Year
| Total completions
| Women
| Proportion of women as percentage of total
|
| 1975 | 60,724 | 26,873 | 44·25 |
| 1976 | 89,651 | 39,879 | 44·48 |
| 1977 | 94,232 | 40,881 | 43·38 |
| 1978 | 92,742 | 39,032 | 42·09 |
| 1979 | 101,272 | 46,018 | 45·44 |
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.