This week marks National Apprenticeship Week, an opportunity to celebrate apprentices and the impact they have on our community, local businesses, and the wider economy. Skills are one of the biggest issues facing the UK, so it is great to see the latest data that shows that apprenticeships have increased under Labour across the country, including here in Stalybridge and Hyde, where we currently have 1170 apprentices on courses.

Under the previous government the apprenticeship levy was significantly underspent and businesses that I have visited over several years shared their experiences of the failings in the levy. That is why we will be replacing the Conservatives’ broken apprenticeships levy with a reformed Growth and Skills levy. We are also creating shorter apprenticeships, reforming the regulation of apprenticeships to ensure we can ensure we develop the skills in shortage sectors, and modernising the apprenticeship journey through the creation of a new app, a one-stop shop for tools and support.

Labour’s first piece of education legislation since entering government, going through Parliament as I write, paves the way for Skills England – a body that will find and fill skills gaps across the country. Pioneering Homebuilding Skills Hubs are also being opened to train the next generation of bricklayers, roofers, plasterers, scaffolders and electricians, so we can get Britain building again.

Crucially, we’re also bringing English & Maths in line with other qualifications, to unlock apprenticeships for up to ten thousand more young people and ensuring that crucial sectors like social care can train apprentices.

I am passionate about promoting apprenticeships as it gives people a chance to learn, earn, and build a career and can transform businesses, helping them build skilled workforces and boosting productivity. You can see a Department for Business and Trade video demystifying apprenticeships here.