Nick de Bois
Main Page: Nick de Bois (Conservative - Enfield North)
Vince Cable
To reduce what is unfortunately the substantial amount of bureaucracy in this area, we are greatly simplifying the number of funding channels and the number of institutions and introducing outcome-based payments for large employers that are training providers. The point behind the hon. Lady’s question is that apprenticeships and vocational training are a great success story for employers, who are beginning to see their real advantages, for young people, who see benefits for their own careers, and for the Government, who have prioritised them and seen the results.
Nick de Bois (Enfield North) (Con)
Does the Secretary of State welcome the apprenticeship initiative led by Johnson Matthey and announced this week in my constituency of 100 days for 100 new apprenticeships, the launch of which I attended, and will he recommend it to other Members as a course of action to provide support for the local economy and local new apprenticeships?
Vince Cable
I would strongly recommend it. I believe that 24 such schemes have already been launched and more than 5,000 apprenticeships have been generated in that way. I congratulate the hon. Gentleman on his role in promoting it in his constituency and compliment the company, whose headquarters in Royston I visited a few weeks ago. It is a superb and innovative British manufacturing company that is exporting most of its production and investing in skills for the long term.