- MP visits Tops Southsea Nursery to champion local apprentices
- Labour unveils landmark plans to unlock thousands of apprenticeships in region
- Education Secretary bolsters government plans to go ‘further, faster’ on growth
More young people in Portsmouth will soon have the chance to take on an apprenticeship, owing to the Labour government’s reform of the skills system to unlock opportunity and drive growth.
Last week, Portsmouth South MP Stephen Morgan marked National Apprenticeship Week by visiting Tops Nursery Southsea to meet with local apprentices and discuss the difference Labour’s reforms will make.
The first set of apprenticeships statistics under the new Labour government brought welcome news for the Further Education system, seeing an increase in starts, participation and achievements compared to the same period in 2023.
In Portsmouth that meant 2,200 apprentices currently on their course, with 150 having recently completed and 490 beginning their apprenticeship between August-October 2024.
But the MP said the government refused to rest on its laurels, pointing to the Chancellor’s recent speech pledging to go ‘further and faster’ on growth and claiming the reforms set out by Labour during National Apprenticeship Week were evidence of progress.
The MP’s intervention followed Labour’s unveiling of new measures to slash red tape which has stopped business from taking on more apprentices and led to apprenticeship starts collapsing under the Conservatives.
Commenting, Portsmouth South MP Stephen Morgan said:
“I was pleased to visit Tops Southsea Nursery to meet with apprentices on National Apprenticeship Week and hear about their journeys and experiences.
“I have always said it is vital we properly value apprenticeships and the impact they have on Portsmouth’s community, local businesses, and the wider economy.
“That’s why I am pleased to see the Labour government harness the talents of young people through ambitious apprenticeship reform to drive growth and unlock opportunity.”
Labour is set to create shorter apprenticeships to increase flexibility for business as well as slim down bureaucratic burdens so providers can focus their time on training rather than unnecessary admin.
At the same time, Labour is modernising the apprenticeship experience, creating more courses aligned to the government’s missions and the industries of the future.
Through the creation of its new app, the government is simplifying apprentices’ journey with a ‘one-stop shop’, bringing tools, resources and support to apprentices’ fingertips.
In a landmark reform, bringing English & Maths in line with other qualifications, Labour unlock apprenticeships for up to ten thousand more young people, including in Portsmouth.
Education Secretary, Bridget Phillipson MP, said:
“Apprenticeships will power this mission-driven government and our Plan for Change.
“The steps we are taking show we are serious about going further and faster in our pursuit of growth, so we can put money in working people’s pockets and raise living standards.
“Labour will harness the talents of young people through ambitious apprenticeship reform to drive growth and unlock opportunity.”
