Gosport MP Caroline Dinenage has welcomed figures showing that the number of apprenticeship starts in her constituency has reached record highs.
According to data from the National Apprenticeship Service, 2100 individuals began an apprenticeship in Gosport in 2012/2013, compared to just 1730 in 2010/2011. This marks a significant increase and brings the number of new starters to its highest point in recent years.
Engineering and manufacturing technologies were the most popular sectors, accounting for 910 apprenticeship starts in 2012/2013. A number of high profile companies offer apprenticeships to young people in Gosport including Network Rail, EDF Energy, QinetiQ and Vector Aerospace.
Caroline commented:
"Apprenticeships do more than offer young people experience of the work place; they facilitate the development of essential qualifications and skill sets which set participants on a lifelong career path within a given company. In these tough economic times, I am pleased that businesses operating locally are investing in young people and taking action to tackle youth unemployment."
As a strong advocate of the learning and skills agenda, Caroline has a long-standing commitment to promoting apprenticeship opportunities and regularly champions this issue both nationally and in Gosport.
