Dr Luke Evans, Member of Parliament for Bosworth, welcomes figures showing that 10,960 new apprenticeships and traineeships have been created in Hinckley and Bosworth since 2010.
Between 2010 and 2023 over 10,960 new apprenticeships have been created in Dr Evans’ constituency of Bosworth, with more than 5.3 million apprenticeships created across England.
Alongside driving up the number of people boosting their skills through apprenticeships, the Government’s reforms are also improving the quality of apprenticeships as £2.3 billion of additional funding has been announced for 2023/24 and 2024/25 with colleges that deliver skills and training getting the most focused support.
Dr Evans has been an advocate for apprenticeships and called on the Treasury, Education Department and Business Ministers to remove red tape surrounding the Apprenticeship Levy.
During visits to Forterra in Desford, where they’re building a £95 million brick factory, as well as Tesco and Amazon sites in his constituency, Dr Evans heard how the red tape is “proving to be a barrier to teaching local people valuable skills.”
Alongside reforms to apprenticeships, the Government has introduced T-Levels and established twelve Institutes of Technology. T-Levels provide students with vocational options as rigorous and robust as A-Levels, whilst Institutes of Technology will be the pinnacle of technical training.
Dr Luke Evans, Member of Parliament for Bosworth, said: “I’m delighted that over 10,960 apprenticeship and traineeship positions have been created in our area since 2010!
"I recently welcomed news that Leicestershire and Warwickshire is a net zero hotpot, and that Bosworth stands out as an area of particularly high activity - which is terrific as over 9,000 people are employed in 'net zero' jobs where the average wage is £42,600 compared to the national average of £33,400! It is the likes of apprenticeships that open the door to this high paying area for not only our younger generations but anyone looking for an exciting career change too!
“One of my promises to our community is to enhance skills, education and opportunities which is why I will continue to raise the Apprenticeship Levy with the Government and ensure that red tape isn’t holding local people back from long and successful careers in highly paid industries.”
Gillian Keegan, Secretary of State for Education, said: “My apprenticeship was my golden ticket. It gave me a unique insight into how a business operated, from the shop floor to the boardroom. I learnt the skills that businesses truly value and it launched my career in international business.
“I hope more people learn about the incredible opportunities available in everything from engineering to healthcare. Whatever career goals you aspire to, they can be achieved through an apprenticeship which can take you all the way up to master’s degree level.”
