Greg Hands MP has welcomed the Government’s commitment to creating apprenticeships at the launch of National Apprenticeship Week 2016. The growing number of people in Chelsea and Fulham starting apprenticeships demonstrates that the Conservatives are delivering on their manifesto commitments.
The theme for this year’s National Apprenticeship Week 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.
Greg Hands MP said: “Apprenticeships make sense for young people across Chelsea and Fulham which is why 1,070 new apprentices have started since May 2010 and over 2.6 million new apprenticeships have started across England.
“I want to give young people the chance to get the skills that they need to get on in life. That’s why I am supporting the Government’s commitment to create 3 million apprenticeships by 2020 and congratulate every college and business locally that has taken on an apprentice.
“The Government is driving up the standards of apprenticeships and introducing new routes into the professions. The opportunity to earn and learn is why we’ve already seen 235,300 new apprenticeships created in London since May 2010. These recent figures show that we are making progress towards our goal.”
The Government also plans to launch the new independent, employer led, Institute for Apprenticeships. The Institute will regulate the quality of apprenticeships in England, taking on responsibility for approving new apprenticeship standards and assessment plans. Only standards that are valued by employers will be approved and funded.