Why an apprenticeships clearing system is to be welcomed - Ismail Mulla

While these young people are the future of the workforce, it has never been harder for them to get the opportunities they need to get a foot on the ladder.

Firms have been cautious when it comes to hiring in general over recent months. This caution only seems to be loosening now, according to research by the Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC) and KPMG.

The reticence of businesses to expanding employment is understandable, given the economic storm clouds that have enveloped the country. That is why those that do give an opportunity to young people via the route of apprenticeships are to be applauded.

People of a certain generation romanticise about apprenticeships in old industries. While for more recent generations it is a completely alien concept associated with dark satanic mills that belongs in the annals of history.

But having spent the best part of a decade covering Yorkshire businesses, I can say that’s not the case. Apprenticeships can cover a broad range of subjects and could help open doors to career opportunities in many exciting growth industries. Whether that is technology or in engineering, apprenticeships can and do work.

One of the biggest challenges that lies at the door of this Government is social mobility. Simply providing state handouts is not the answer to dealing with deprivation. Yes, the welfare state is needed as a safety net but long-term the solution is in providing future generations the opportunity to lift themselves out of poverty through meaningful careers.

The biggest enemy when it comes to tackling deprivation and indeed a threat to the economy is poverty of aspiration, where people simply cannot see a way out of the circumstances around them.

Apprenticeships can be an invaluable tool to showing these people that there is a way out and you don’t need to come from the ivory towers of education to succeed in life. In the past, universities provided an excellent gateway for young people to careers in white collar industries.

However, the rise in tuition fees, and increased competition for a shrinking number of job opportunities at the end of it, means we need to consider alternative paths for young people.

As yet another Government gets embroiled in its own Westminster psychodrama, it is worth reflecting on the disconnect between our lawmakers and the communities they purport to represent.

If we hooked up all our MPs to lie detector tests and asked them if they’d be happy not sending their child to university and instead opting for an apprenticeship, the answers would be quite revealing.

For all the pontificating about apprenticeships this week from numerous politicians, there is still a whiff of not for me but for thee.

There is, of course, nothing wrong with aspiring to go to university. I did so myself. Then I ended up doing an apprenticeship to complete my qualifications.

But apprenticeships need to be given equal weight to university education. Even universities see the benefit of on-the-job learning with many getting on board with degree apprenticeships.

In fact we could go much further as a nation and starting connecting the world of work with classrooms in schools - helping children see the link between the skills they are procuring in classrooms and those needed in the workplace.

The Government’s pilot scheme to match young people who narrowly miss out on an apprenticeship is to be welcomed. The university clearance-style system will be tested this year in a bid to help more young people take up training placements for skilled jobs. The pilot will be run in partnership with employers and mayoral strategic authorities.

At that age, rejection can feel like the world has caved in for many young people, especially if they come from a deprived background. By signalling to them that there are other opportunities, it gives them hope.

The reality is that the country needs to gear up its workforce. Britain needs to maximise its assets.