Erewash MP backs big changes to improve apprenticeships through new 'Skills England' body

Erewash MP, Adam Thompson, has highlighted the transformative power of apprenticeships and their critical role in addressing the UK’s skills gap.

Drawing on experience teaching degree-level apprenticeships in electro-mechanical engineering, Adam praised apprenticeships for delivering high-quality education coupled with invaluable real-world experience.

Mr. Thompson supports the government’s new bill to establish Skills England, a body that will bring together businesses, apprenticeship providers, trade unions, and local authorities. The initiative will focus on aligning apprenticeship programmes with key industries such as advanced manufacturing, clean energy, and life sciences.

With 42% of engineering firms reporting labour shortages as their top concern, Adam stressed the importance of Skills England’s proposals. These include shorter, more flexible apprenticeships tailored to industry needs, foundation apprenticeships for those needing pre-apprenticeship training, and reforms to unlock opportunities for tens of thousands of young people.

Adam highlighted Erewash’s industrial heritage, where towns like Long Eaton and Ilkeston remain hubs for skilled trades such as furniture manufacturing and lacemaking. He recently visited WEBS Furniture Training, a local provider helping apprentices master bespoke furniture-making - a craft no machine or factory can replicate.

He also toured JTL Training in Sandiacre, which trains future electricians and plumbers, essential to building the homes and infrastructure Britain urgently needs. With apprentices traveling from across the region, Thompson called for expanding local training facilities to meet the growing demand for skilled trades.

The MP  urged action to place apprenticeships at the heart of Britain’s growth strategy, ensuring industries have the talent they need to thrive and young people have the tools to succeed.  

He said: “Apprenticeships provide a practical, hands-on learning path that’s just as prestigious as a university degree. They allow young people to earn while they learn, avoid student debt, and gain immediately applicable skills, which employers highly value.”