AS our economy recovers, it is more important than ever that young people in Swindon have the opportunity to get into the workplace and develop their skills, so on Monday, I was happy to visit the Apprenticeship Bus at Wharf Green as part of National Apprenticeship Week (3-7 March 2014) to find out more about how Swindon businesses can play their part in offering future apprenticeships to young people across our town.

There are currently over 550 apprenticeships in Swindon ranging from engineering to the care sector. It was good to see that both employers and young people were taking up this opportunity to find out more. The most recent figures by the Office for National Statistics were particularly welcome, as they show that employment is up and unemployment is down.

An even more encouraging figure from the ONS was that across the country, the number of number of young people in work increased by 49,000 in the last three months and youth unemployment fell 48,000 in the last three months. Hundreds of young people in Swindon have already taken up apprenticeships, but there is more to be done to deliver more opportunities for our young people.

Apprenticeships help deliver the best skills for our country, provide opportunities for young people, give them financial security and boost the local economy to boot. The benefits of taking on an apprentice are substantial.

A new report by the Association of Accounting Technicians advises that new apprentices in South Swindon gave local businesses a remarkable boost of £1.8m last year and that every time a local company hires an apprentice their bottom line gets an average boost of £2,013, after wage and training costs are deducted.

On a national level, apprentices boosted businesses by £1.8 billion. This is proof positive of the value of apprenticeships, not only to young people but to the businesses that support them.

Surveys indicate that 60 per cent of small businesses have not taken on an apprentice because they don’t know enough about how they work; understandably, many believe that they are difficult to administer and will involve a short-term cost.

As apprenticeships are an important priority for the Government, there is plenty of advice available to help guide local businesses through the process of hiring and training an apprentice. Go to www.apprenticeships.org.uk/.

On another note, I will be chairing a meeting in the Chamber at Swindon Council on Friday at 7pm to discuss subsidence issues relating to buildings near to the Regent Circus development. While the development is a welcome boost for our town centre, the needs of existing residents and businesses have to be considered too.

I am glad that the contractor, ISG, has already been working to address concerns and am pleased that they will be coming to the meeting, along with local residents and businesses, to discuss this matter, establish responsibility for the situation, and find a way forward. If you live in the area, you will be most welcome.