Ed Miliband: “forgotten 50%”
Construction figures have played down Labour’s widely applauded pledge to boost apprenticeships and create a technical baccalaureate as moves that were happening already.
Ed Miliband pledged to focus on the “forgotten 50%” of children that don’t go to university, with the introduction of the technical baccalaureate for vocational training between 16 and 18.
Responding to Ed Miliband’s speech at this week’s party conference, Geoff Lister, of the Cross Industry Construction Apprentice Task Force, said: “It’s very welcome, but I think what Labour is saying is very much underway anyway. The government has increased funding to apprentices and is introducing University Technical Colleges, which will deliver alternative qualifications for those that do not want to go down the traditional educational route.”
And on Labour’s pledge to make it mandatory for winners of public sector contracts to take on apprentices, Lister added that this was also already the case. “It’s incredibly hard to get on a local authority framework without it being written in the contract you have to take on an apprentice,” said Lister.
“Until the economy is straightened out you won’t get SMEs with the confidence to take on apprentices though. It really is down to the majors to do their part.
“I think we are seeing light at the end of the tunnel – but still a long way to go. We are still only training half the number of people we were in 2008.”
Also at the conference, housing and the construction industry were placed at the heart of Labour’s economic strategy as part of a bid by Miliband to reposition it as a “one nation” party. On Monday shadow chancellor Ed Balls pledged to introduce a £3bn programme to build 100,000 homes and cut stamp duty for homes worth up to £250,000.
ODA chair John Armitt, meanwhile, has agreed to run a commission set up by Labour designed to build cross party consensus on major infrastructure projects.
Labour is also to launch a “network of innovation”, comprising local authorities that are looking to increase their house building output, according to shadow housing minister Jack Dromey. Dromey also confirmed Labour’s commitment to fight any relaxation of planning obligations.
