Apprentices

Prime minister Gordon Brown announced a series of initiatives to improve the skills and job prospects of young people. He told the TUC that all of this summer’s school leavers will be guaranteed a place on a pre-apprenticeship course or at a college, while a new nationwide service will match apprentices who need training to employers.

He also committed to doubling today’s 250,000 apprenticeships by 2020. This would be done by extending the apprenticeship scheme to new areas in the public sector such as the NHS, local government and the civil service, “as well as into new sectors of the youth labour market”.