Portsmouth MP Stephen Morgan has said plans to overhaul the skills system will unlock more opportunities for Portsmouth young people.
Mr Morgan made the comments following a visit to the Skills Development Centre for BAE Systems in Portsmouth.
During the visit, Mr Morgan met with apprentices to hear about their educational journeys and discuss their ideas for how more opportunities can be made available for young people across the city.
The city MP also viewed the facilities including the Skills Development Centre and the Augmented Reality welding station, and learned more about BAE’s STEM outreach programme.
The Government has pledged to deliver the skills our country needs through a new growth and skills levy, replacing the existing apprenticeship levy, as well as new foundation apprenticeships.
Labour will reform the skills system so there is new flexibility for employers, cutting through red tape to reduce the barriers getting in the way of getting apprenticeships into key jobs.
New foundation apprenticeships will also offer pre-apprenticeship training, giving young people a foot on the ladder and the chance to gain valuable work experience, learning as they go.
Skills England, the government’s new body to help identify skills needs, was launched in July.
The IfATE bill, introduced in Parliament, marks the next step in Labour’s plans for Skills England to unlock opportunity, harness the talents of working people and grow the economy.
Commenting on the visit, Portsmouth South MP Stephen Morgan said:
“Portsmouth is fizzing full of potential, and now we have a government that will tap into that potential.
“I was pleased to visit BAE’s Dockyard Training Centre to meet their brilliant apprentices and discuss what needs to change to ensure more young people have opportunities like them.
“That’s why I’m so pleased about the reform to our skills system, which will unlock the pride and ambition of more young people in our area.”
Bridget Phillipson, Secretary of State for Education, said:
“The need to boost Britain’s skills runs is crucial to our mission-driven government – we need skills to drive growth, we need skills to build homes, we need skills to deliver energy security.
“These reforms signal our intent to overhaul the skills system, led by the work of Skills England to find and fill gaps across the country.
“Labour will harness the talents of young people to drive growth and unlock opportunity.”
