This National Apprenticeships Week, the Deputy Prime Minister, Nick Clegg will be celebrating the prodigious growth of women taking up apprenticeships over the last five years. The latest figures reveal over a million women started apprenticeships between 2010/11 and 2013/14.
The number of people starting apprenticeships have doubled since 2010, with over 2 million apprenticeships starting in England during this parliament. Since 2010, the number of people starting apprenticeships in business and law each year increased by over 60%, with starts in engineering and manufacturing apprenticeships growing by over 50%.
Nick Clegg states, “these encouraging statistics show that we are starting to see an end to the barely concealed snobbery of people thinking apprenticeships aren’t the path to a good career. In fact, they are becoming the first choice for earning and learning.”
However, there have been a lot of backlash from the Labour Party, as new figures show that there has been a 49% rise in long-term unemployment for the youth of black and ethnic minorities since 2010, which contradicts the previous figures stated.
The Labour Party pledges to guarantee every young who are out of work for over a year and claiming benefits a paid starter job as well as training, which will help over 3,200 black and ethnic minorities (BAME) young people back into work.
Labour's Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary, Rachel Reeves has criticised the Conservative Party's approach. “The 49 per cent rise in the number of black and minority ethnic young people out of work for over a year since 2010 shows the Tory plan is failing. It is a huge waste of the next generation’s skills, potential and talent and it comes at a huge cost to young black and minority ethnic people, their families, taxpayers and the economy.”
Meanwhile, Labour MP, Sadiq Khan spoke up for young people at a local apprenticeship event in Tooting Centre.
MP Sadiq Khan has employed a number of apprenticeships at parliament and also underlined to the guests at the event, “we can help fulfil people’s potential and they can help you fulfil yours. We’ve all got something to offer...”
