Amanda Milling has welcomed the Government’s commitment to creating apprenticeships at the launch of National Apprenticeship Week 2016, with the growing number of people in Cannock Chase starting apprenticeships demonstrating that they are valued by both employers and apprentices.
Amanda Milling used a debate in Parliament to highlight the progress being made in Cannock Chase to create new apprenticeships, with apprenticeship starts in Cannock Chase between August and October 2015 topping the tables in Staffordshire recently.
The theme for this year’s National Apprenticeship Week is “an apprenticeship can take you anywhere”, as a growing number of young people are looking to an apprenticeship as an alternative to university.
Amanda Milling said: “Apprenticeships make sense for many young people across Cannock Chase, which is why 6,590 new apprenticeships have been started here since May 2010 and over 2.6 million new apprenticeships have started across England. I was particularly pleased by recent figures that showed that the number of apprenticeships started in Cannock Chase topped the tables in Staffordshire. 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 315,800 new apprenticeships created in West Midlands 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.
Amanda Milling added: “Getting employers involved in designing and setting the standards of apprenticeships is really important. We need to ensure that the skills that apprentices are gaining will help them with their careers, whatever the sector, and enable them to really contribute to the businesses they work in. If we can achieve this I am confident that businesses will take on more apprentices, giving more young people the opportunities an apprenticeship can offer.”
Amanda has visited many businesses across Cannock Chase that employ apprentices and she has hosted an event to encourage more businesses to take on apprentices. More businesses are being incentivised following the announcement of the new Apprenticeship Levy which will fund even more apprenticeships in Cannock Chase.