Follow the Scots, urges academy chief

The Academy boss is holding up two schemes being run by the Scottish Government, which he says are examples of how the problem could be tackled. Scotland's First Minister Alex Salmond recently announced a 'Buy One Get One Free' scheme for life science employers, pledging that the government would meet the full salary costs of the second apprentice. Scottish employers also benefit from a new 'adopt an apprentice' scheme, which sees them being paid £2000 to recruit a redundant apprentice. Jones said: "There are more than 11,000 employers in the process industries and many of them are struggling to maintain apprenticeship levels through the current economic climate. "We simply cannot afford to let these young people disappear into other industries, or worse still, leave the labour market entirely because their employers can no longer afford to run or complete their apprenticeship programmes. "Other sectors such as construction and automotive have already received government assistance, and the creation of the National Apprentice Service is a step in the right direction. "We have been lobbying hard on behalf of our members in the chemicals, polymers and pharmaceutical sectors. We now need some action, and we need it fast if this significant economic sector is to make its full contribution to the eventual upturn. "We urge Ministers to follow Scotland's lead and apply some innovative thinking to come up with a fast and practical response to the problem of attracting and retaining the young talent our industries need." In a separate announcement, the Academy said it had appointed Glasgow-born Allan Laing, the man responsible for turning round the fortunes of chemicals business Pentagon to its main board.