Westminster Life: Why I believe Peterborough can become the best place to get an apprenticeship

​This week Work Secretary Liz Kendall MP was in Peterborough to visit apprentices and businesses at Peterborough College. We have some brilliant businesses and learners creating new opportunities for young people across the city. But overall the figures are not great. One in eight young people are neither working nor learning, and 2.8 million people are struggling to work due to long term sickness. Peterborough is a youth unemployment hotspot with the number of apprenticeship starts falling in recent years. We need to turn that round.

I’ve been a relentless champion for apprenticeships and better job opportunities in the city. I’ve made it my job to visit and listen to businesses, education providers and learners about what works and how we can bring more opportunities to Peterborough. And I won’t stop. Just this week I was on my feet in Parliament again, making the case for local businesses and our support for better skills. I am Co-Chair of the All Party Group on Apprenticeships meeting great employers here and around the country.

So, it was great to help launch the new Government’s Get Britain Working Again plans in Peterborough. And for Peterborough – as part of the Mayoral Authority – to be one of the new £45 million youth trailblazers to bring more investment and support to the area. The Youth Guarantee will see all young people offered the chance to earn or learn, Job Centres merged with a new careers service and reform to how apprenticeship funding works. It also means fixing the mental health system to support more people into work.

As one business who attended the Peterborough College visit said to the Peterborough Telegraph, “apprentices are the lifeblood of many companies”. They are also the lifeblood of decent work and growth in our economy. It was great to be able to introduce Ministers to businesses and apprentices from a range of local companies this week, such as EML, Baker Perkins, Taylor Rose, Codem Composites and Gen Phoenix. It was such a privilege to showcase the best of city and to highlight how we can improve things further. We also have great skills providers in the city like ARU Peterborough and Reed-in-Partnership alongside the college.

In terms of what the Youth Guarantee means for Peterborough, the new funding will help us create local answers to tackle the barriers and challenges to employment and growth unique to Peterborough, with a specific focus on young people and the barriers to them finding secure employment and entering education.

More broadly, these plans also include a review which will focus on how employers can recruit people struggling with a health condition or a disability and promote inclusive and healthy workplaces. There will also be support for the NHS, improving employment outcomes, as the current state of our NHS has proven to be a significant barrier to employment and growth, with many people struggling to work due to long term sickness, unable to see their GP.

This is my passion. I won’t give up until we are the best place for apprentices in the country. Investing in the next generation is key to that. This Government will create growth, drive secure employment, rebuild our NHS and tackle the root causes of economic inactivity, not just in young people but across society.