I recently met up with the Minister for Skills, Apprenticeships and Higher Education, and my fellow Essex MP, Rob Halfon, to discuss our mutual interest in delivering the Government’s apprenticeship system.
I did the job Rob is now doing for a year, and was immensely impressed by the enthusiasm of young people to take up a diverse range of careers through the apprenticeship training courses. Just last year 540 new apprentices from Brentwood and Ongar started their training. The training enables them to get the skills they need to land highly-skilled jobs, boost out workforce and grown the economy.
The Government has recently decided to introduce a new teaching apprenticeship that will offer a high-quality, alternative route for people to become qualified teachers. This is on top of record levels of funding in skills and apprenticeships with investment to apprenticeships increasing to £2.7 billion by 2024-25, creating a world-leading skills system that is employer-focused, high quality, and fit for the future.
In other good news for local educators, the Department for Education has confirmed the Anglo European School has been accepted into the School Rebuilding Programme, which will fund work to replace its sixth form centre which had to be closed when RAAC was found a year ago.
I am delighted for headteacher, Jody Gee, and all her staff and pupils, who have been models of determination and patience in the last twelve months in managing a very difficult situation. I am glad to have been able to play some part in making sure the DfE did not dally in making a decision, and am overjoyed the work will now be able to go ahead to build for the future of the Anglo European School
