James Duddridge, Member of Parliament for Rochford and Southend East, commends the success and development of the Government’s flagship Apprenticeships programme.
The 2010/11 school year had seen a record year for apprenticeships, which have increased by over 50% to 442,700 starts. Increases in apprenticeship starts have been delivered at all age groups, with significant increases in fields such as Business, Administration and Law, Retail and Commercial Enterprise, Manufacturing and Engineering, and Health. Even in struggling fields such as construction, apprenticeships have remained steady, demonstrating the crucial role they have in job recruitment and skill development both for individuals and for businesses.
An apprenticeship summit is planned for November, with the stated goals to simplify the apprenticeship process and encourage more employers to participate in creating real, sustainable jobs.
James said
“I applaud the work my colleagues are doing in the Department for Business Innovation and Skills to increase the quality of service offered by the National Apprenticeship service. These are encouraging figures for young people in the area and I am reassured that the programme will continue to expand. Across the local area we have a range of apprenticeships being offered from locally based businesses and I am looking forward to seeing those apprentices securing full time employment.
“John Hayes Minister of State for Further Education, Skills and Lifelong Learning has visited Southend a number of times and is aware of the excellent works at Prospects and the opportunities around the aircraft industry at Southend Airport.”
ENDS