Millions of training places for UK

The drive includes 120,000 new apprenticeships alongside 3.5 million places on courses for adults who struggle with basic English and maths. Skills Secretary John Denham said the move should mean firms do not have to hire skilled migrants in place of poorly-trained British workers.

He said: "The primary reason we are expanding skills and training places is to make sure the British economy is prosperous and competitive in the future and to make sure everyone can share in that prosperity."

Mr Denham continued: "We would be doing this whether or not migrant labour was available. But this will help ensure that British workers can compete for jobs where previously employers have had to look for skilled migrant labour."

Almost a third of adults in work are poorly qualified, with many lacking confidence in the three Rs. There are fears that British workers risk losing out to better-trained migrants, particularly from eastern Europe.

Mr Denham set out his plans in a letter to the Learning and Skills Council, detailing his priorities for the funding of training courses.

There will be an extra 30,000 places on courses for workers over the age of 25, the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS) said. In total, about 7.5 million training places will be offered.

The plans include thousands of extra places on courses equivalent to GCSEs and A-levels for adults who left school without these key qualifications.

A spokesman for DIUS said the aim was to improve the skill levels of workers. "But it is just common sense that if you do improve the skills base of the current workforce, there will be less need to recruit migrants," he said.

Shadow skills secretary David Willetts said many employers are put off training staff by red tape. "The real problem in expanding apprenticeships is the limited number of employers who wish to take them on," he said. "They are put off by the costs and the bureaucracy but there is nothing in this announcement to tackle that problem."