Vocational Training

Mr. Hayes
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills (1) how many hours of training on average were undertaken by participants in the Train to Gain programme;

(2) what percentage of participants in the Train to Gain programme received no training as a result of first stage assessment;

(3) what percentage of participants in the Train to Gain programme have received training of more than (a) 60 hours, (b) 70 hours and (c) 100 hours;

(4) what percentage of the Train to Gain programme budget has been spent on (a) training, (b) accreditation and (c) skills brokers.

Bill Rammell
Train to Gain is an ongoing service and as such performance is updated on a regular basis. Detailed operational information is not held centrally by the Department but is collected by the Learning and Skills Council (LSC). Mark Haysom the LSC chief executive has written to the hon. Member and a copy of his replies has been placed in the House Library.

Letter from Mark Haysom, dated 28 March 2007:

I am writing in response to your recent parliamentary question about the number of hours Train to Gain learners take to achieve qualifications.

As the majority of learners take more than 6 months to achieve a qualification, there is currently only a small amount of data available to use in responding to this question.

However, analysis of nearly 10,000 learners starting in the period April-July 2006 who have now completed their training shows the average number of hours to be about 33 hours.

I hope this response is helpful to you.

Letter from Mark Haysom, dated 12 March 2007:

I am writing in response to your recent parliamentary question about what percentage of participants in the Train to Gain programme budget is spent on (a) training (b) accreditation and (c) skills brokers.

The Learning & Skills Council is not clear what is meant by the terms ‘training’ and ‘accreditation’ as used in this question. However, the following details of 2006/07 budget expenditure may answer the question:

Provision i.e. paid to providers to train employees to achieve a qualification. = 68% of budget.

Skills Brokerage including broker training and accreditation to new national standards in business advice = 11% of budget.

I hope this response is helpful to you.

Letter from Mark Haysom, dated 12 March 2007:

I write in response to your Parliamentary question asking what percentage of participants in the Train to Gain programme have received training of more than (a) 60 hours (b) 70 hours and (c) 100 hours.

Train to Gain has been available nationally since August 2006. The use of the term ‘training’ in the question is unclear as it could cover a wide range of activities. LSC collects data on the number of hours learners spend on training programmes working towards qualifications. As the majority of learners take more than 6 months to achieve a qualification, there is currently only a small amount of data available to use in responding to this question. Based on 7,103 records to date, the breakdown is:

(a) 60-70 hours = 4%

(b) 70-100 hours = 10%

(c) 100 hours + = 1%

Letter from Mark Haysom, dated 12 March 2007:

I write in response to your Parliamentary question asking what percentage of participants in the Train to Gain programme received no training as a result of first stage assessment.

The Learning & Skills Council is unable to respond to this question without clarification as the term ‘first stage assessment’ is not recognised. It is also unclear whether the term ‘participants’ refers to employers or employees.

If you can clarify this point, we would be happy to respond.