I met with John Denham, Secretary of State for Innovation Universities and Skills today to discuss Labour’s ambitious plan to expand and strengthen apprenticeships.

I was delighted to meet John Denham today as apprenticeships are one of Labour’s big success stories. The fact that people like Sir Alex Ferguson, Sir Alan Sugar and Gary Rhodes are supportive shows that employers value apprenticeships as a great way to kick off a career with on-the-job training.

I’m sure that young people and employers in Birmingham will take advantage of the fantastic opportunities the government is providing to expand apprenticeships. Together I’m sure we can achieve the aim for one in five young people to be on apprenticeships within the next decade.

John Denham, Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills, said: “In this rapidly changing world, Britain will only succeed if we develop the skills of our people to the fullest possible extent. Apprenticeships have a key role to play. 

“This plan details not only how the expansion in numbers will be delivered but also how the quality can be improved to ensure apprenticeships can be a mainstream option for more of our workforce and help secure a prosperous future for the whole country.

"The number of young people and adults successfully completing apprenticeships has risen from around 40,000 in 2001/02 to over 100,000 per year now.  We project that the number successfully completing will rise further to around 190,000 per year in 2020.

Manchester United Manager Sir Alex Ferguson said: "When I was a young footballer, I was desperate to be full-time. But my father insisted I did my apprenticeship. Apprenticeships were a comprehensive education which taught young people how to be part of a workforce. They instilled the values of excellence and quality in the workplace and served British industry well throughout the years. It is sad that their demise was so swift and any attempt to revive their place in a young person's training should be welcomed and will benefit the economy for years to come."

Sir Alan Sugar said: "I am a great believer in apprenticeships because young people learn best on the job with a mentor who knows what they're doing. If British industry is going to compete with the rest of the world, we're going to need a trained workforce who are the best at what they do - that is why I back more apprenticeships for people in Britain.”

Chef, restaurateur and author Gary Rhodes said: "I'm pleased to see that apprenticeships remain at the forefront of Government's policy to build a skilled workforce and welcome the findings of this Review. I have seen at first hand how pursuing an apprenticeship can be an excellent start for a successful career."