The government has announced funding for an extra 35,000 apprenticeships.
An investment of £140 million will be used to create a range of new apprenticeships across both the private and public sectors.
The additional funding is on top of the £1 billion the government is intending to spend on apprenticeship schemes in the coming year.
John Denham, the Skills Secretary, said: “Now more than ever it is important that we give people the real help they need to get and keep jobs. This is an important initiative and is a further signal of our determination to give people the chance to get the practical training they need to get on and to help ensure the country has the skilled workers it needs to benefit from the upturn.”
While welcoming the funding, the CBI said that the most effective boost to employment would come from a recovery in the credit markets.
John Cridland, the CBI’s deputy director-general, commented: “This is a useful initiative designed to help those people who are particularly vulnerable to unemployment develop their skills. However, the only way to protect real jobs is to get the credit markets working again.”
