Figures this week show that the Government is making great progress towards its commitment to deliver three million more apprenticeships by 2020 - with 268,000 already created since the General Election last year.
Since 2010, there have been 4,970 people in North Swindon who have started an apprenticeship. This is fantastic news as more young people in North Swindon are getting the skills to get on in life and do well. Apprenticeships are a core part of our plan to provide economic security and opportunities for people who want to find work and provide for themselves and their families.
I get to see first-hand the positive impact that these opportunities are providing when I visit local employers. Before Christmas I went to congratulate apprentices at the ISYS Group – a Swindon based software developer based on Firefly Avenue – who recently won an award for their apprenticeship programme at the regional leg of the National Apprentice Awards. What struck me most was the exceptional amount of enthusiasm that these young people had. They genuinely enjoyed being in the work place and excelled when it came to learning new skills. As someone who went to a school where opportunities were not provided and young people often fell by the wayside, I am incredibly passionate about providing chances for everybody, regardless of background. This is exactly what our apprenticeship targets are all about.
Elsewhere in Parliament this week I signed the Holocaust Educational Trust’s Book of Commitment to coincide with Holocaust Memorial Day which was held on Wednesday. The 27th January 1945 was the date allied forces liberated Auschwitz-Birkenau, the former Nazi concentration and death camp where 1.1 million men, women and children were murdered. The Holocaust Educational Trust was established in 1999 to help educate young people about those dreadful times, and ensure that the horrors inflicted by the Nazis are never forgotten. I welcomed the announcement by David Cameron that the Government will be funding a new memorial next to Parliament for victims of the Holocaust, providing a lasting tribute.
Finally, following the very successful Disability Confident Reverse Jobs Fair that I hosted at STEAM last year, I invited all of the other 649 MPs to a drop-in session this week to try and encourage them to host an event in their own constituencies. Our flagship event in Swindon saw local employers, rather than jobseekers, brought together with disabled people’s support organisations to discuss their specific recruitment needs. This innovative approach gave employers the confidence to overcome perceived barriers to employing disabled people and offered appropriate support and advice. As part of my ministerial role I am determined to see these events replicated across the country as part of our ambition to halve the disability employment gap. I am proud that Swindon is once again leading the way.
