To mark the start of National Apprenticeship Week, Mid Bedfordshire MP Blake Stephenson met with young people in Ampthill this morning (10th February) to hear about how apprenticeships have given them opportunities to progress their careers.
The roundtable was arranged by Kaplan UK to allow their Accounting and Financial Services apprentices to share their experiences with local MP Blake who has a background in financial services.
Many of the apprentices shared their concerns about the Government considering plans to defund Level 7 apprenticeships suggesting it would 'put a cap on ambition' and that is shows 'a lot of discipline doing apprenticeships alongside a full-time role.'
Blake Stephenson MP said: "Apprenticeships are a real boost for social mobility, they open doors and provide skills boosts, so I am concerned about potential funding cuts to Level 7 apprenticeships from the Government which would cap ambition and as one young person sadly put it, leave them at a 'dead end'."
Local MP Blake also recently met with apprentices from from local employers Lockheed Martin and Cranfield Aerospace Solutions at the Annual ADS Apprentices Reception in Parliament to celebrate the work apprentices do and the critical importance of industrial skills.
ADS figures highlight that more than 23,000 apprentices are currently employed across the aerospace, defence, security and space sectors
From the new era of flight and the sustainability agenda, the deployment of AI and machine learning in defence and national security, or the UK’s Future Launch capability, the skills needs in aerospace, defence, security and space continue to rapidly evolve so apprenticeships are vital.
