Justin Tomlinson MP Meeting Honda Apprentices In Parliament
Today the Prime Minister, David Cameron, announced a £25m fund to support up to 10,000 Advanced and Higher Apprenticeships to boost to skills in Britain. The fund is central to the ambition of building a vocational route that equals the academic one, increasing social mobility and expanding opportunity for all.
The fund will support the expansion of apprenticeships up to degree equivalent in companies, especially SMEs, where there is unmet demand for the skills required to create additional jobs and growth. The Government is on track to deliver more apprenticeships than at any other time in our nation's history, exceeding their own expectations on the number of apprenticeship starts in 2010/11.
Justin Tomlinson MP said "In addition to this being wonderful news for learners and employers, higher level apprenticeships are fundamental for fostering sustainable economic growth. To rebalance the economy we need apprenticeships that will increasingly deliver not just basic training, but also high level, high tech skills in sectors such as engineering, advanced manufacturing, and information technology."
Every £1 the Government spends on an apprenticeship delivers a £40 return to the wider economy, making the fund a sound investment in the country's future and central to driving growth and employment.