Jo Churchill MP has welcomed the Government’s commitment to creating apprenticeships at the launch of National Apprenticeship Week 2016, as growing numbers of people in the Bury St Edmunds constituency have started an apprenticeship.
The theme of National Apprenticeship Week 2016 is that an apprenticeship can take you anywhere, as a growing number of young people are looking to an apprenticeship as an alternative route for people who don’t want to go to university.
Jo Churchill MP said: “Apprenticeships are increasingly becoming an attractive and alternative option for young people across my Bury St Edmunds constituency, which is why 5,320 new apprentices have started since May 2010 and over 2.6 million new apprenticeships have started across England.
The Government is driving up the standards of apprenticeships and introducing new routes into the professions. The opportunity to earn and learn is also why we’ve already seen 237,900 new apprenticeships created in the East of England since May 2010. The aim of delivering three million apprenticeships by 2020 is an ambitious yet realistic target. These figures show what progress has already been made and - more importantly - what more needs to be done.
I want to see young people given the chance to get the skills that they need to get on in life. Increasingly, local colleges and businesses are taking on more and more apprentices and we need to keep up this momentum to give all our young people, the best opportunity.”