Labour pledge to invest in skills wins EEF support
1 min read
Manufacturing leaders have backed a pledge by shadow business secretary Chuka Umunna (pictured) at today's 'business and economics day' at the Labour Party Conference in Brighton which promised to "get Britain back onto the road of sustainable growth".
The shadow secretary said Britain needed to invest heavily in skills, education and apprenticeships for the future.
Commenting on the speech, Terry Scuoler, chief executive of the manufacturers' organisation EEF said that supply chain capacity and the skills within it in supporting manufacturing firms at home but was also a major factor that influenced key inward investment decisions from major companies overseas.
"Industry will welcome the fact that supply chains are now recognised as a key priority for industrial strategy by both government and opposition," he added.
On measures to boost Apprenticeships, Scuoler said business would welcome plans to raise the quantity and quality of Apprentice skill levels by making them mandatory to level 3 and a minimum of two years.
On the subject of European workers, Scuoler added: "In a tight labour market business must be free to recruit the best skills it needs from across the EU, not just in the UK. Plans to force companies to take on an equal number of UK workers to those they train from overseas is not just impractical but, an interventionist measure that goes against the grain of a market based approach to training."
