To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many vocational training places are available in Northern Ireland for 16 year olds; and how many places were filled in 2004-05. (85442)

The Jobskills programme provides the guarantee of a training place for all 16 and 17-year-old school leavers wishing to avail of the opportunity for vocational training. It is not possible to split the data between 16 and 17-year-olds, however, in the 2004-05 financial year, 6,985 16 and 17-year-olds commenced the Jobskills programme.