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Lord Sugar blames Government for 'neglected' apprenticeships
Tim Ross, Education Correspondent19 Aug 2009
Alan Sugar has attacked the Government's “scandalous” record on apprenticeships despite being hired to promote Gordon Brown's policies, the Standard has learned.
Lord Sugar demanded that ministers “show their commitment” to creating more apprenticeships for teenagers.
The host of BBC's The Apprentice warned that Britain's “proud history” of helping people learn a trade had been “neglected”.
His remarks came at a critical time for millions of school-leavers who are facing the highest unemployment rates for a generation and a shortage of university places.
Ministers have said they want to create 400,000 apprenticeships by 2020, including 35,000 over the next year.
Lord Sugar, who fronted an advertising campaign to promote the Government's policy, welcomed the increase but stressed there was “a way to go” to make an apprenticeship viable for everyone who wants to do one.
Writing in Report, the magazine of the Association of Teachers and Lecturers, he said: “This country has had a proud history of apprenticeships, but they have been scandalously neglected in recent times. The Government needs to show its commitment.
“It has said it will ensure apprenticeships are a mainstream option for all 16 to 18-year-olds by 2013, with significant growth for older learners as well.
“So far it has increased spending to £1.14 billion in 2009-10 and committed to investing in more than 20,000 public sector apprenticeship places during the next year.
“That investment needs to be maintained if apprenticeships are to be a long-term success.”
Lord Sugar wrote the article in March, at a time when he was promoting Labour's apprenticeship policies, but before he was appointed as the Government's enterprise czar during the chaotic reshuffle in June.
He has been forced to stop advertisements to promote apprenticeships because political figures are not allowed to take part in government advertising.
The Department for Children, Schools and Families declined to comment on the article.
Lord Sugar welcomed the increase in the number of apprenticeships to 225,0000 in recent years. But he stressed there was “a way to go” to make an apprenticeship viable for everyone who wants to do one.
Reader views (9)
I remember when the loonies did away with apprenticeships saying they were nothing more then slave labour. Same with paying dole monies to school leavers. sheer madness.
- Mike, London, 20/08/2009 21:31
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Whats the point of hiring an apprentice when you have to pay them the same money as other employees, not to mention the extra training that the apprentice needs.
- Mario Kempe, london, 20/08/2009 08:30
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This "government" is only good at waste.
- Peteo, London, 19/08/2009 15:27
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Mr Sugar has demonstrated time and time again that even given the thousands and thousands of applicants at his disposal, he can’t select anyone that a sane employer would want to wish on anyone.
- Ian, Reading, England, 19/08/2009 13:03
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I am torn between support for Sugar's advocacy of apprenticeships and the appalling reputation his own approach on TV gives to business. On balance, a tick in the box but he needs to give up being an etertainer if he is serious about helping young people make themselves useful in the real business world.
- Simon, london, 19/08/2009 11:51
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This just proves, as many have been saying all along, that the Government's riddiculous obsession with 50% of the country going to university has distracted them from tackling the urgent need to increase the number of apprenticeships and vocational training courses. To many employers a degree is now worthless and practical experience is like gold dust.
- Sg, London, UK, 19/08/2009 11:30
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And 12 long, long years of outrageously overpaid, arrogantly bloated, ZaNuLabour friendly, idle Union Barons ... scandalously doing next to nothing for 'their' workers basic quality of life regarding adequate apprenticeship opportunities, shocking levels of unpaid overtime, no fair spreading of workload, lack of job sharing to employ the intollerably massive exluded 'unemployed workforce' ... until these Orwellian swine are on the verge of losing power!
And, what is more extremely worrying, is that 'our' ZaNuLabour complicit brodcasting media have made no obvious responsible effort, what so ever, to investigate and expose this blatant politicised neglect!
- Dave, Cumbria, 19/08/2009 10:37
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There are no apprenticeships. The Government's line about 'creating' aprenticeships is just guff. Network Rail advertised six apprenticeships in York covering the whole of the North, this is the level of opportunity we're talking about. An electrician told me that local companies which used to offer apprenticeships had stopped doing so, because they could employ a fully-qualified and time-served Polish electrician on a short-term contract for the same money, so why should they bother? Another unforeseen consequence of our insane open-borders policy.
- David, Sale UK, 19/08/2009 10:21
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Well done Alan. My 16 year son has been looking for an apprenticeship and there are so few available. Our youngsters have left school/college/university in the middle of a recession and they need all the help they can get to get started.
- Kim, Lancing, West Sussex, 19/08/2009 09:49
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