ALONGSIDE the rest of the world, the UK has been battling strong headwinds of global economic turbulence following Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine. The inflation this has caused has been difficult for us here in the UK and devastating for many abroad, especially in the poorest countries where basic food prices have more than doubled.

Here we’ve all noticed it on supermarket shelves, at the petrol pump and in our energy bills. Inflation whittles away at savings and overshadows any pay increases; if we don’t deal with it, everyone will be worse off.

These rises are beginning to ease, down from a peak of 11 per cent in October and the Prime Minister has made it his pledge to see it halved by the end of this year.

As well as combatting these global price pressures, I am committed to ensuring that as many of my constituents as possible are in good well-paid jobs that can withstand these tough times. This has been a particular mission of mine which is why I was so glad to see the recent employment figures for North West Durham showing the lowest levels of unemployment we’ve seen for decades and strongly rising numbers of people in payroll employment.

We must keep this momentum going, drive economic growth, and long-term productivity for everyone’s prosperity.

A key way of achieving this is by increasing apprenticeships.

That is why I recently held my fifth apprenticeships and jobs fair, at Derwentside College in Consett. Meeting apprentices like Matt – who attended one of my apprenticeships fairs last year – I could see first-hand the transformative impact an apprenticeship has had on him. He is earning while he learns and getting valuable skills as well as a stable career.

Apprenticeships are great for our local employers too. Hiring an apprentice is a productive and effective way to grow talent and develop a motivated and skilled workforce that can be moulded to each employer’s bespoke needs. This is something that is already well known by Rolls Royce in Washington and Nissan in Sunderland, but also many smaller local firms.

If we are to truly upskill our workforce whilst levelling up by turbocharging productivity and growth across the North East, apprenticeships really matter.

The Northern Echo: Richard Holden cut-out

One big issue for apprenticeships is that some people still do not consider them as a fantastic option and also, sadly, too many people are unaware of them. Seeing this ignorance and snobbery being broken down and uptakes starting to rise is great but we must all do more. That is why I am so delighted by all the great work going on in my constituency at Derwentside College, made possible by the fantastic leadership of Chris Todd and Susan Erdington, generating great jobs and opportunities for young people on our doorstep.

The Education Secretary Gillian Keegan MP, who was an apprentice herself, is also leading the way at national level.

Increasing apprenticeship uptakes will unleash the potential of the North East. We fuelled the first industrial revolution and our ships and manufacturing products were the envy of the world. I want to see the next industrial revolution in the UK take route here too, fuelled by the talent of our people from every city, towns and village in our region. Our emerging apprenticeship model can take us there.

  • Richard Holden is a transport minister and the Conservative MP for North West Durham