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Cable urges more businesses to say 'you’re hired' to an apprentice

07/02/2011

By Claire West

Today, Business Secretary Vince Cable and Skills Minister John Hayes urged more employers to drive economic growth by creating a new generation of skilled workers, while underling the government’s commitment to increase the budget for Apprenticeships to over £1,400 million in 2011-12.

Dr Cable welcomed the expansion of British Airways successful engineering apprenticeship scheme, to take on 120 students this year. This will give more students the opportunity to become full time employees of British Airways.

Ministers also praised UK firms including British Gas, Superdrug and Procter and Gamble, which between them will create thousands of new apprenticeship places this year. BT, which hosted the event, is offering 250 places across the Group, and Jaguar Land Rover will create 1,200 new Apprenticeship places.

Calling on firms to follow the lead of these employers, Dr Cable said that the Government wanted to work with business to deliver 100,000 more apprentices by 2014. He welcomed the news that 12,000 apprentices would complete their training at Morrison’s this year.

Ahead of the launch of Apprenticeship Week in London, Dr Cable said that investment in training the next generation of highly skilled workers would be key to sustainable economic growth, and called for an end to outdated values that have seen vocational learning branded a poor relation to academic study.

Business Secretary Vince Cable said:

[i]"I want to reinforce the message to business and young people that apprenticeships are a first-class way to start a career. That is why my department has pledged to work to create some 75,000 additional adult places than those promised by the previous government.

"Some of the most prestigious companies in England — large and small, public and private — employ apprentices and benefit from doing so. More than 30% of Rolls-Royce apprentices have progressed to senior management roles within... continued on page two >

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