Rugby MP Mark Pawsey has today welcomed figures released from the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills that show a 58% increase in the number of apprenticeship starts from last year. 

Figures for the West Midlands show a 65% increase in apprenticeship starts, with Rugby starts up by 44%. Commenting on the figures Mark said: “I welcome the rise in local apprenticeship figures, a key indication that the government’s plans to boost youth unemployment are going in the right direction. The number of those not in education or training has been too high for too long, and the government is determined to bring the numbers down. By the end of this Parliament this government will have supported 250,000 more apprenticeship places than under the previous government’s plans.

“I am pleased that so many local people are starting apprenticeships across the board, from business, to construction, to leisure to manufacturing. I am certain that many of these apprentices will go on to have long and very fulfilling careers”.