Apprenticeship starts have more than doubled in the last 5 years in the Congleton Constituency.
Fiona Bruce MP is Co-Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Skills and Employment in the Houses of Parliament and is delighted to see the positive impact of apprenticeships.
Fiona Bruce MP for Congleton Constituency said:
“Apprenticeships form a vital part of the Government’s plans for economic growth and education reforms to give opportunities to more young people. With 1.5 million starts since 2010, I am proud of the Government’s record in delivering the biggest boost ever to apprenticeships and am delighted to see the positive affect it is having in my constituency of Congleton.”
The main areas of apprenticeship starts in Congleton are seen in Business, Retail, Public Services and Engineering. All have seen more apprenticeships within the last couple of years.
The current Government’s emphasis on apprenticeships has been seen to be a huge success. In the Congleton area there were only 490 apprenticeships at the end of the labour Government in 2010. This has increased to 800 in the first year of the current Government and since then has seen a steady growth to nearly 1000 apprenticeships in the Congleton area.
Fiona continued saying:
“I want the new norm for people leaving school or college to either go to university or choose an apprenticeship or other vocational skills training and for our apprenticeships to be the best in the world. Their contribution to society is just as important as University graduates – indeed if we do not address this now we are going to be desperately short, as a country, of certain skills, such as electrical engineers. The Government must take note.
To encourage businesses to take on apprentices, the Government is providing incentive payments of up to £1,500 for small firms which take on young apprentices for the first time.
