Nigel Huddleston MP has welcomed new figures showing 820 new apprenticeships were started by people in Mid Worcestershire last year. The figures also showed a strong rise in the number of apprenticeships started regionally – up 16.9 per cent in the West Midlands in 2014/15 from the year before.
In total 4,050 new apprenticeships have been started in the constituency since 2010. During this time youth unemployment has fallen locally by almost 70 per cent.
This means more young people getting the skills they need to get on in life and make the most of their talents – such as Joe Reynolds from Pirton who is on his way to becoming a barber, thanks to Lifetime’s Level 2 Barbering Apprenticeship. Nigel has recently written to Joe to congratulate him on being one of 14 finalists for the Lifetime Learner Achievement Awards 2015.
In total 2.4 million apprenticeships were started in England over the last parliament. And the Conservatives are committed to go even further over the next five years and deliver 3 million more by 2020. This is being funded by an apprenticeships levy on large employers, who will have control over funding to ensure it is giving young people the skills they will need to succeed.
Nigel said,
“These figures are fantastic news but there is more to do. It is unacceptable that 130 young people in our local area are still not in employment or training. Apprenticeships are a great way for young people to get on in life.
It is slowly becoming the norm that young people get the choice of an apprenticeship, as well as that of going to university when they leave school, but there is still much more to be done. Far too many young people still believe that going to University is the only way to make a success of your life. We must do all we can to show young people that apprenticeships can provide them with much needed experience and will often lead to a full-time job.
Apprentices also bring real value to the businesses that take them on, allowing them to develop a motivated, skilled and qualified workforce. I would encourage all local businesses who don’t already offer apprenticeships to consider doing so and for those that already do to think about taking on more!”
ENDS
For more information please contact Nigel Huddleston on 07789983719 or his Parliamentary office on 0207 219 5814