The young people and 20 of their employers debated the subject with business minister Margot James, Wendy Morton MP, Amanda Milling MP, and Daniel Kawczynski MP in London.
In-Comm Training arranged the visit to coincide with the culmination of the National Apprenticeship Week and to highlight the need for continued investment in generating the talent of the future.
Joining the firm on the visit was Salop Design & Engineering, RMD Kwikform (Interserve), IMI Precision Norgren, GKN Land Systems, Frank Dudley, Made in the Midlands, FBC Manby Bowdler, William Mitchell, B Mason & Son, Bradken, Black Country Chamber of Commerce, Cooke Brothers, Phoenix Tooling, Grainger & Worrall and Middas.
Gareth Jones, managing director of In-Comm Training, said: “The government has finally woken up to Apprenticeships being real jobs and the recent reforms will help engage employers to raise the quality and provide a faster route to competence,”
“We want to showcase the talent we are developing in the West Midlands to the people that make decisions and the conversations we had were very positive, building on the introduction of T-Levels in the recent Budget.”
Wendy Morton, MP for Aldridge-Brownhills, said: “I have always been a big supporter of Apprenticeships and the role they play in bridging the skills gap and there is nothing like hearing from young people about their experiences and their achievements.
“It was also good to hear from businesses about the benefits they enjoy and also the financial commitment they make…without employers willing to invest time and money into apprentices the skills gap would be a lot wider.”
