Celebrating the benefits and opportunities of apprenticeships

Last week marked National Apprenticeship Week, which was an opportunity to celebrate apprentices and the huge benefits and opportunities they bring to our communities, local businesses and the wider economy.

The Government marked National Apprenticeship Week with welcome and overdue reforms that will benefit apprentices and businesses across High Peak.

We are calling time on the snobbery around skills. It is time we gave apprenticeships equal standing with other career paths like going to University.

Labour is slashing red tape to ensure businesses can focus their time on training the workforce of the future rather than on unnecessary admin.

We’re creating shorter apprenticeships to fast-track the skills we need.

We’re modernising the apprenticeship journey through the creation of a new app, a one-stop shop for tools and support.

And we’re opening up apprenticeships to people who might struggle with getting higher qualification levels in English and Maths but are talented and more than capable of doing the job they want to train in. Breaking down these artificial barriers will open up to ten thousand apprenticeships, including here in High Peak, and help deliver the skills our economy desperately needs.

I recently had the pleasure of visiting United Utilities’ wastewater treatment facility in Chapel. It was great to see the work they were doing to make strides in cleaning the water we all use daily and to see firsthand their use of apprentices at several levels of their organisation, giving local people an opportunity to get on the careers ladder and build crucial skills for life. It’s a model that I want more local organisations to take note of, as Government makes apprenticeships more accessible for both businesses and the people taking them up.

As your Member of Parliament, I want to do all I can to support local people getting on with their lives. To do this, I’m hosting a Job’s Fair in April. Whether you’re looking for an apprenticeship and or a career change then come along and talk to employers and education providers at High Peak’s Career, Skills and Jobs Fair that I am hosting on Friday 11^th April 10:30 – 14:30 at the Pavilion Gardens in Buxton. It’s open to all ages and will include talks, interactive sessions like CV writing and interview skills and advice for getting into Apprenticeships in a variety of industries.

I think we should all do our bit to support people into work, so if you’re a business that wants to exhibit or someone who is looking to re-train or even get your first job, please get in touch with me at [email protected] and I look forward to seeing you there.