April 7, 2024
INDUSTRY and production have a long and illustrious history in Warwickshire, with two centres of excellence in car production at the Aston Martin and Jaguar Land Rover plants in Gaydon. These businesses are important to the progress of a high-skilled, high-wage economy here. in Warwickshire.
I recently visited both sites, and while it would be simple and truthful to write about how inspired I felt through the technical excellence shown, I need to communicate anything else that made a deep impression on me on my visit. For a long time, Other Young People were channeled through a narrow passage directly oriented toward a college education. While for many, this path was the right one, many others were disappointed by the confidence that they weren’t smart enough. A one-size-fits-all approach to our school formula is not only negative for our young people but also for our economy. To make sure Britain is equipped for the economic landscape of the future, we’ll need to make sure those with a technical brain thrive.
It has been a privilege to hear the stories of Jaguar Land Rover’s apprentices and their journey towards an apprenticeship. The diversity of classical backgrounds and titles was deeply impressive and once again made me highlight the key role that apprenticeships will have to play in our education. system. One trainee in particular summed up the good fortune of the government’s efforts to improve access to the sector. They explained to me that the signage at their school about learning systems was, at best, obscuring their enrollment. However, some time after starting their apprenticeship, they were invited to come and lecture at the school in hopes of inspiring more young people to follow a similar path.
The recent additional spring budget underlined the government’s commitment to ensuring the long-term good fortune of apprenticeship programmes. This announcement included £60 million in new investments to enable up to 20,000 new apprenticeships. Starting April 1, the government will fully fund the education of those under the age of 21 who register for an apprenticeship at a small business. This will reduce costs and administrative burden for those businesses and create more opportunities for young people. Since 2010, the government has helped more than 5. 7 million people get started. apprenticeships, with a total investment of £2. 7 billion through the 2024/25 financial year.
If you, or know, would like to receive more information on how to start an apprenticeship, visit www. gov. uk/apply-apprenticeship.
The Leamington Observer is part of an organisation of local weeklies covering Worcestershire, Warwickshire and the West Midlands published through the Bullivant Media Group, a newspaper that offers the latest local news, sports and advertising, in print and 247 online.