IMI welcomes Labour leader Ed Miliband’s apprentice pledge

The IMI, which represents the UK retail motor industry, has welcomed a pledge from opposition leader Ed Miliband that a future Labour government would increase the numbers of apprentices.

IMI CEO Steve Nash said: “Ed Miliband has set out an interesting plan for increasing and improving the level of vocational training in the UK. One of the major obstacles to attracting talented young people into our industry is the negative attitude of their parents towards apprenticeships compared to university education.  A cultural change at the heart of Government policy in this area would go a long way to overcoming this barrier.

“We estimate the potential earnings of today’s 16 year olds destined for university compared with those who go through apprenticeships. Our calculations predict that at the age of 25 those who pick the vocational training in the motor trade will have earned on average £60-100k more than the academic students over the period and these figures do not include the estimated £55,000 debt that university students will graduate with.

“We need to get the message out that earning while you learn pays dividends for the individual and the economy. Today’s announcement by Ed Miliband is a step in the right direction.”