Unemployment: Young People

Lord Davies of Coity Excerpts

Monday 28th November 2011 Lords Chamber

[Lord Walton of Detchant]

My Lords—

[Lord Davies of Coity]

My Lords—

[Lord Strathclyde]

My Lords, there will be time for both Peers if we have the noble Lord, Lord Davies, and then the noble Lord, Lord Walton.

[Lord Davies of Coity]

My Lords, more than 50 years ago, when I was serving my apprenticeship, the industrial training boards had a levy and grant system that ensured that all small and medium-sized businesses produced apprentices or paid the levy if those businesses poached skilled men from the big companies. Why should we not reintroduce that system?

[Lord Freud]

My Lords, we clearly need to rebuild the apprentice structure in this country—or at least build it, as was never particularly strong compared with countries such as Germany. We are very actively looking at how best to do that.