Apprenticeships are so important to our young people’s future

This week marks National Apprenticeship Week – a celebration of apprenticeships and how they are helping to shape our workplaces. Apprenticeships are about learning on the job, not sitting in a classroom but getting out into the workplace and learning a new trade.

Who knows where an apprenticeship may lead – today half of the board at Rolls-Royce began their careers as apprentices. As did the likes of Jamie Oliver; the Formula One engineer Ross Brawn and Eric Clapton – who all started out as apprentices. Up and down the country hundreds of thousands of young people are following in their footsteps and realising the life-changing opportunity becoming an apprentice affords.

Here in Filton and Bradley Stoke we gained 850 new apprentices last year, an increase of 72%. And we are not alone: across the country there was a 63 per cent increase as 450,000 people started an apprenticeship last year. With yet more investment by the Government we are sure to see this number rise.

This week David Cameron announced businesses and training providers can bid for a share of the £6m Higher Apprenticeship Fund, which will support the development of new Higher Apprenticeships in sectors including aerospace, energy and renewable technologies. An additional £250m will be available to businesses to boost skills in their workplace.

So why do I think more people from Bristol and South Gloucestershire should be signing up for apprenticeships?

Many young people in our local area may leave school and not know which way to turn. One option may be university, another to travel in a gap year or simply work. But there is another option – becoming an apprentice. And the best thing is that this option allows you to earn and learn at the same time.

The second fantastic thing about apprenticeships is the skills they provide. More and more employers are saying that graduates and school leavers do not have the tools necessary for the working world. An apprenticeship is a great way of developing a young person’s skills, of tailoring them to the workplace.

But apprenticeships are not just a win for young people. They are beneficial to local businesses, such as Airbus, Rolls Royce, GKN and MBDA, which is why the Government has launched new initiatives to encourage more firms to take on apprentices. This way they can train people to their standard and in return get loyal staff and a quick recoup of their investment. As an added incentive from today any small business in our area who hires an apprentice aged 16-24 will be eligible for £1,500.

They are a boost for our economy – every £1 of public cash invested in apprentices returns an estimated £18 to the wider economy. This is vital at a time when new jobs and growth are what’s needed when we face the biggest economic crisis any of us have known.

Apprenticeships are a win for business, a win for young people and a win for the economy – that is why I am delighted that here in Bristol and South Gloucestershire we are adding more names to the growing list of people realising their potential through an apprenticeship.

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