IN this week’s column, Warrington South MP Andy Carter highlights National Apprenticeships Week.

One of the main reasons I decided to stand as an MP was because I wanted to ensure all our children get the best start in life – we have some of the best teachers and great schools in Warrington, I know because I’ve taken the time to visit almost every school in my constituency to talk to governors, teachers, head teachers and young people. 

I also regularly speak to parents about the opportunities open to their children as they begin to think about future careers – and more and more it’s apprenticeships that are being seen as a way to learn and earn, post 18, once students leave school. 

For many though it’s still a confusing landscape, so it’s crucial that young people and parents have a better understanding of all the options available including details of degree apprenticeships, so they can make informed choices and go on to have the career they want.

So during National Apprenticeships Week, it’s worth reflecting on the tremendous progress that’s been made in recent years on apprenticeships – almost 5.4 million starts since 2010, with over 570,000 people participating in an apprenticeship in England between 2022-2023 alone.

Last week, I was so pleased to welcome to Parliament some young apprentices from Warrington working in the nuclear sector, a massive industry in our town with around 10,000 people employed directly or through the supply chains supporting nuclear energy.

Companies such as Cavendish, Nuvia and a whole host of others offer a range of fantastic apprenticeships in subjects including mechanical design and electrical engineering in this ever-growing sector, where young people can get stuck in and develop new skills to take them forward in life.

More and more world-beating businesses in Warrington are embracing and investing in apprenticeships. I’ve had the pleasure to visit several of these companies in the last few weeks including BGEN and Culina Group who have both won praise from Government ministers for their excellent training programmes.

On Friday 10th March I will once again be hosting my jobs and apprenticeships fair where many local employers in a wide range of industries will be on hand to talk about apprenticeship opportunities for young people who are thinking about their future career path once they leave school.

I’m also really pleased that UTC Warrington will become the first University Technical College in the country to focus only on T-Level courses, prioritising technical education. T-Levels emphasise vocational skills, are equivalent in size to three A-Levels and include an in-depth 45-day industry placement.

They help students get into highly skilled jobs, higher study or apprenticeships. It’s great to see Warrington leading the way on these fantastic new technical qualifications which provide a brilliant alternative to purely classroom-based qualifications.

By investing in technical education and putting apprenticeships side-by-side with undergraduate degrees, we can help students make the very best decisions for their career – getting into good well-paid jobs that help to grow the economy. That’s why we’re supporting more young people to access the opportunity to earn while they learn, with thousands of new options for training, right up to degree level, in every sector.