Political opinion: Crawley Parliamentary candidate Zack Ali welcomes plans for 100,000 new apprenticeships a year across England

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Zack Ali has welcomed the Conservatives’ clear plan to deliver 100,000 more high-skilled apprenticeships a year by the end of the next parliament to secure a brighter future for young people across Crawley. This will be done by replacing the worst performing university courses with high-skilled apprenticeships.

The UK is home to four of the top ten universities globally, which play a significant role in boosting local economies. However, too many university degrees are leaving students worse off and saddled with debt.

That is why the Conservatives will assess the poorest performing university courses based on their drop-out rates, job progression and future earnings potential and replace these with high-skilled apprenticeships so our young people can learn the skills they need to reach their full potential.

Since 2010, the Conservatives have created a world-class apprenticeship system that has delivered 5.8 million apprenticeships and now reaches nearly 70 per cent of all occupations.

The choice is clear: stick with the Conservatives under Rishi Sunak who have built a world-class apprenticeship system from the ground up and are securing the future of our young people alongside our National Service plan. Or go back to square one with Labour, who would slash apprenticeships in half across the country, denying young people of the opportunities they deserve and taking us back to square one.

Zack Ali said: “Only the Conservatives have a clear plan to give young people in Crawley the opportunities they deserve for a more secure future.

“Building on the delivery of 5.8 million apprenticeships since 2010, I am delighted that the Conservatives have now gone further by setting out a clear plan to deliver 100,000 new apprenticeships per year, helping young people to gain the valuable life skills they need for a more secure future alongside our National Service plan.

“All of this would be at risk under Labour, who would slash apprenticeship starts by 10,020 across the South East, taking us back to square one.”

Rishi Sunak, Prime Minister said: “Improving education is the closest thing we have to a silver bullet for boosting life chances. So, it’s not fair that some university courses are ripping young people off.

“Thanks to our plan, apprenticeships are much higher quality than they were under Labour. And now we will create 100,000 more, by putting an end to rip-off degrees and offering our young people the employment opportunities and financial security they need to thrive.

“That’s the choice at this election – the Conservatives with our clear plan to grow the economy and give people the opportunities they need for a secure future, or Labour who have no plan and would take us back to square one.”

Gillian Keegan, Education Secretary said: “There are no limits to where an apprenticeship can take you. Mine took me from a car factory in Kirkby to the Cabinet.

“When Labour were in power they pushed an arbitrary target to get half of young people to university, creating a boom in low quality degrees – leaving far too many students saddled with debt and little else.

“The choice is clear. Sir Keir Starmer and the Labour party who have contempt for apprenticeships, or Rishi Sunak and the Conservatives who have a clear plan to give young people the best start to their careers.”