Richard has welcomed figures showing that 9,260 new apprenticeships have been created in North East Bedfordshire by Conservative governments since 2010 and over 5.3 million apprenticeships have been created across England.
As well as driving up the number of people boosting their skills through apprenticeships, the government’s reforms are also improving the quality of apprenticeships.
Alongside reforms to apprenticeships, the government has introduced T-Levels which provide students with vocational options as rigorous and robust as A-Levels.
Commenting, Richard Fuller MP said:
Apprenticeships are fantastic ways for students to enter the world of work, helping them to build new skills and gain vital industry knowledge – all while being paid.
It is brilliant news that 9,260 new apprenticeships have been created in North East Bedfordshire since 2010 thanks to successive Conservative governments – as part of our drive to improve skills and productivity in our economy.
Each new apprenticeship means another student building the skills and knowledge they need for a long and successful career.
The government also announced new plans to allow young people to use UCAS to search and apply for apprenticeships, alongside degrees. From this autumn, UCAS will expand their service so that young people can see more personalised options, including apprenticeships. From 2024, students will then be able to apply for apprenticeships through UCAS alongside an undergraduate degree application.
Almost half of people that register on UCAS say they would consider an apprenticeship, but currently there are not enough vacancies being advertised through the service to meet growing demand.
The plans will help put technical and vocational education on an equal footing with traditional academic routes. By opening up the service to apprenticeship opportunities, thousands more young people will benefit from a wider choice of high-quality options. Employers will also benefit from better access to talent on UCAS and the ability to manage their apprentice recruitment process.
