Last week the Government launched a new campaign, Get In Go Far, to showcase the amazing opportunities that apprenticeships offer. This campaign has been set up primarily to show young people, parents, teachers and employers the benefits of apprenticeships and to raise perceptions of them as a credible route into work.
We are lucky in Medway that we have some excellent apprenticeship opportunities given the growing science, engineering and technology sector, headed by BAE Systems which takes 12 apprenticeships each year. We also have some fantastic providers of the skills that can be invaluable to careers in these sectors, such as Medway University Technical College and MidKent College, as well as the campuses for the University of Greenwich, the University of Kent and Canterbury Christ Church University. Just last week I was delighted to invite and show off some of our local high flying defence and aerospace apprentices to a dedicated event in Parliament.
The Government is committed to achieving three million high quality apprenticeship starts by 2020. This will increase opportunity for all young people and help to abolish long-term youth unemployment. It will enable each apprentice to develop the character, knowledge and confidence to realise their potential.
Reforms of apprenticeships are putting employers at the heart of developing new apprenticeship standards, with over 1,500 employers involved from nuclear to fashion, digital, law, banking and transport. In April, the Government abolished employer National Insurance contributions for virtually all apprentices aged under 25. The Apprenticeship Grant for Employers was also extended to the end of the 2016/17 academic year to provide funding of £1500 to small businesses for their first five apprentices aged 16-24.
There has never been a better time to employ an apprentice or to start an apprenticeship and I would like to encourage more young people to consider this option in taking their careers forward. For more useful information and advice, please visit www.getingofar.gov.uk, or follow social media channels at www.facebook.com/apprenticeships/ and @apprenticeships for Twitter.