The apprentices

It is also encouraging that Ministers want to use the HS2 high-speed rail revolution to create even more apprenticeships, and how Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin has signalled a desire for the expertise of local firms along the route to be used wherever possible.

That said, HS2 is still a distant dream – despite Tory ministers trying to outflank Labour yesterday on the use of apprenticeships – and the Government needs to be doing far more to reduce levels of youth unemployment by the time of the next election.

The creation of 64,000 apprenticeships each year in Yorkshire is a welcome start, but it is a drop in the proverbial ocean compared to the number of opportunities which need to be created to enable school-leavers to contribute to the economy rather than become a financial drain on the welfare state.