John Hayes: A new generation of apprentices can build the skills to make Britain thrive

We must make sure that those seeking work gain the skills employers need. Britain has overlooked the importance of vocational training for years. But that’s not a mistake this Government intends to make. Even in these difficult times when money is tight, we’re investing in apprenticeships because we know they work.

They work for young people – getting them into jobs and helping them to fulfil their promise. They work for employers too – nurturing the skilled workers needed to improve their businesses. Furthermore, apprenticeships are no longer just the preserve of the traditional trades –- although they remain vital. There are more than 200 apprenticeship frameworks suitable for hundreds of job roles; from digital media to electrical engineering; horticulture to accountancy.

The financial facts speak for themselves. Every pound of Government money spent on apprenticeships generates up to £40 for the economy.

On average, people who complete advanced level apprenticeships earn over £100,000 more during their working life. For business, investment in skills feeds productivity and boosts competitiveness. Britain’s future chance to prosper is as a high-tech, highly skilled nation.

That is why in March’s Budget for Growth we announced an extra £180m to deliver 250,000 more apprenticeships than under the last government’s plans.

Last week, the Prime Minister announced a new scheme that will help 10,000 unemployed youngsters who lack basic skills get the work experience and training they need to make the grade for a full apprenticeship. I have it made my burning ambition, as Skills Minister, to work with businesses up and down the country to deliver the greatest number of apprenticeships in Britain’s history.

In Leeds, we’re making good progress. In their recent campaign to create 100 new apprenticeships in 100 days, the Yorkshire Post, Leeds City Council and Leeds City College in fact helped local employers deliver three times that number. That’s another 300 young people who are now on the path to a successful career in this great city.

This is a remarkable achievement that, along with other initiatives that the National Apprenticeship Service is running nationwide, will help change the way Britain values practical skills.

Having long championed apprenticeships in Parliament, I want to pay tribute to the businesses and organisations that have helped restore them to their rightful place in our national life – as a respected, well-funded and indispensable route for people from all backgrounds to achieve their ambitions.

In Yorkshire, these include supermarket Morrisons, Sheffield Forgemasters International, and Wakefield & District Housing to name but three.

I’m determined that employers shouldn’t be deterred by red tape. By reducing bureaucracy and raising quality standards, we will help employers – whether they are multi-national giants or small local firms, to take on more apprentices and reap even greater rewards from doing so.

Skilled work builds the kind of purposeful pride that makes craftsmen stand tall, communities bigger and Britain even greater. Society should value and celebrate those who practise it.

Young people should no longer be forced to choose between a solely academic or purely vocational route, an assumed dichotomy which for years has held our country, and thousands of talented youngsters, back.

That is why we are creating a new path to higher education and learning through higher level apprenticeships – breaking down the old barriers, creating new chances to succeed.

In the past, too many skills were neglected, allowing countless young Britons to grow up without meaningful work.

Under our plans, economic growth will be shared across the country and between sectors of the economy. The revival of apprenticeships will enable young people to learn the skills that build enduring careers, grow successful businesses and nurture thriving communities.