During National Apprenticeship Week, Crawley MP, Henry Smith, has supported the Prime Minister’s vision for it to become the new norm for young people to either go to university or start an apprenticeship.
Across Crawley, 850 people started apprenticeships in the academic year 2011-12, and another 230 have started in the first quarter of this academic year. This is a percentage increase of 89 compared to Labour’s last year in office.
This comes as the Centre for Economics and Business Research (CEBR) have released a forecast that apprenticeships completed over the next decade could contribute productivity gains worth up to £3.4 billion a year to the economy by 2022.
Henry commented:
“Thanks to the Government’s funding drive to support young people, we now have 89 per cent more apprenticeships across the town and, with a new university presence, further education enrolments are up from the low 17 per cent rate that we saw under the previous Government.
“Conservatives in Government are investing in apprenticeships to ensure that the country has the skills it needs to compete in the world and people across Crawley are benefitting from this. I know from work that I’ve seen at Central Sussex College that apprenticeships are a win for the individual and a win for the business.
“Apprenticeships are at the heart of the Government’s mission to rebuild the economy, giving young people the chance to learn a trade, to build their careers, and create a truly world-class, high-skilled workforce that can compete and thrive in the fierce global race we are in.
“But more needs to be done – that’s why the Prime Minister outlined earlier this week his desire for it to be the new norm for young people to either go to university or into an apprenticeship.
“National Apprenticeship this week provides a great opportunity to celebrate the positive impact that apprenticeships have on individuals, businesses and the economy.”
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