To ask Her Majesty's Government what measures of success they are adopting in their skills strategy in relation to women's participation in further education, higher education and apprenticeships.

The Government are committed to making full use of the skills and experience that women can bring to the economy. We are building a skills system that supports growth, extends social inclusion and promotes social mobility to ensure that we can draw on the talents and skills of all. We have removed top-down targets, and are continually monitoring the impact of our reforms, including the up take of different groups through our quarterly published data.

In the 2010-11 academic year, 54.5% of all learners participating on a government-funded further education and skills course were female (compared with 54.9% in 2009-10). For learners participating on an apprenticeship, 50.4% were female in 2010-11 (compared with 46.9% in 2009-10).

Concerning participation in higher education, in the 2010-11 academic year, 56.4% of enrolments at UK higher education institutions were female (compared with 56.6% for the 2009-10 academic year).