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Cabinet Ministers visit apprentices at City College
18 September 2008
Skills Secretary John Denham and Children's Secretary Ed Balls recently came to City College Brighton and Hove to chat with hairdressing apprentices. The apprentices are based at Uckfield in a training centre run by 'Partners 4 Training' who work in conjunction with City College to deliver apprenticeships. The ministers' visit coincided with the announcement that the minimum weekly earnings for all apprentices in England will be increased from £80 to £95 a week next year.
The increase follows a review of apprentice pay carried out this year by Department of Innovation, Universities and Skills and the Department for Children, Schools and Families. The average net earnings of an apprentice each week is £170 but the Government wants to ensure that the earnings of all apprentices are fair and that they should reflect the support given to young people pursuing other qualifications. The new £95 minimum, to start from August 2009, will benefit an estimated 26,000 (about 10 percent) apprentices mostly those in traditional less well paid sectors such as hairdressing and social care ? of whom 90 per cent are women.
John Denham with hairdressing apprentice Kayleigh Branson
John Denham says:
'We have rescued apprenticeships. We have trebled the number of people taking them up since 1997. Over 60% of people now complete their apprenticeships compared to just over 20% a few years ago. We will go on to make sure that they are a mainstream option for all young people and for adults in England. Within the next decade 1 in 5 young people will be able to take up an apprenticeship.'
Ed Balls says:
"Our radical plan to raise the education leaving age to 18 means we will need to create 150,000 more apprenticeships by 2013 for 16 and 17 year olds who want to follow a vocational path into the world of work. That's 50,000 more young people starting apprenticeships every year. And it is only fair that while people are working and training they are paid a decent wage.'
City College's Principal, Phil Frier, says:
"It was terrific to have two cabinet ministers in the College in one afternoon. They were great with the students, talking to them about their courses and, in particular, about their future careers. Both of them spent quite a bit of time talking to our hairdressing apprentices and their visit also gave us the opportunity to talk to them directly about how government policy affects the daily life of the College. "
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About City College Brighton and Hove: Founded over 100 years ago, City College Brighton and Hove has become an international centre of excellence. Every year, around 9,000 students, including many international and European students, choose City College as their education provider. Over 500 14 to16 year olds from local schools also attend the College. City College provides training to over 2,000 businesses and has a 'City Business Skills' department which focuses on employers' needs. Offering hundreds of courses from basic level to pre-University level, City College is working with its partners to develop the workforce of the future.
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