Due to economic hardship, my parents had to leave school at 14 and 15. But I was lucky. I was awarded a free place at a grammar, worked hard and became the first person in my family to go to university. In those days it was often felt that there was a significant divide between the status of a place at university compared with an apprenticeship and vocational education. Over the last decade all that has rightly changed.
2019 was the first year where more than half of young people in England went on to study at university and for the majority it will have been a rewarding and worthwhile experience, just as mine was. This is why I have organised several visits from the three sixth form colleges in my constituency (in Okehampton, Crediton and Ashburton) to Oxford University to encourage state school pupils to aim high and not be nervous about applying to the best universities.
But university is not the right option for everyone and I have spent many years promoting local apprenticeships as an equally important alternative. Apprenticeships are an excellent way to gain important skills and qualifications while also earning and when you reach Level 5 apprenticeships and above, lifetime average earnings are on average higher than those achieved by university graduates.
I spent two years as a ministerial aide in the Business Department in the early part of David Cameron’s premiership helping to increase the number of young people embarking on apprenticeships. In Central Devon 376 people, on average, began an apprenticeship each year between 2005 and 2010. This increased to 681 between 2010 and 2019. I am really proud of this local achievement.
However, the pandemic has had a painful effect on apprenticeship starts, with numbers in England falling dramatically. The Government responded by offering businesses additional financial incentives to take on apprentices and this support must continue if numbers are to rebound to pre-pandemic levels. The Treasury Select Committee (which I chair) has an ongoing inquiry into jobs growth and productivity (a key part of which is skills including apprenticeships), so I am examining this area of policy very closely.
During the next few days I will be spending time with some local apprentices here in Central Devon and flying the flag for National Apprenticeship Week (7th-13th February). In particular I want to highlight the value that apprentices bring to local businesses because they really are mutually beneficial. 3 in 4 employers say their apprentice has helped improve productivity or quality of service and 98% say their apprentice has brought other benefits to their business.
We have excellent apprenticeship training organisations here in Central Devon – The Focus Training Group based at Heathfield and Moor Training in Okehampton. Links to their programmes as well as useful information for employers thinking about taking on an apprentice can be found at www.melstridemp.com/apprenticeships.
