Two million apprenticeships is good news for young people and employers

The drive to meet Labour’s target of getting 50% of young people to go to university meant that often young people were being encouraged to go to university when actually other learning and training opportunities better suited their skills and what they wanted to do later on in life. It also meant that skilled jobs that are vital to the British economy were often not filled because young people weren’t being encouraged into those professions.
This is why, when the Coalition Government was formed in 2010, the Liberal Democrats made it one of our top priorities to create more opportunities for young people to take up apprenticeships. Apprenticeships not only offer young people the chance to learn vital skills that can help them find employment, they also mean that employers are able to access the skilled employees that they need for their businesses to flourish and grow.
Last month, I was delighted that the Liberal Democrat Business Secretary, Vince Cable, was able to announce that two million apprenticeships have been created since the Coalition was formed.
To mark the announcement I joined the Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Candidate for Brent Central, Ibrahim Taguri, to meet with apprentices across the constituency. Since 2010, nearly three thousand apprenticeships have been created in Brent Central, offering local young people fantastic opportunities and allowing businesses in Brent to recruit from the fantastic pool of local talent.
Among the businesses we visited was Imagefarm, which is a cutting-edge food production company based in Park Royal. Imagefarm exports across Europe and the Middle East and the apprentices we met were among the technicians who were developing innovative production and design initiatives.
Speaking to apprentices in Brent it was clear to me that the increase in apprenticeships has been a real success. This is why I was delighted that Liberal Democrats made sure more support for apprenticeships was included in the Autumn Statement.
From April 2016, employers will not have to pay National Insurance contributions for all apprentices under the age of 25. This will make it easier for businesses to take on apprentices than ever before.
From space engineering, to nursing, to legal services, apprenticeships are providing the opportunities for young people to find jobs and a route employers trust to access the skills they need.