27 May 2025, 07:46 | Updated: 27 May 2025, 14:40

By Bridget Phillipson

This February, during National Apprenticeships Week, I met Reece, Morgan and Adrian, a group of young brickwork apprentices at the academy of a leading UK construction company.

Bright and enthusiastic, they were near the start of their training and on the road to a brilliant career in the building trade, working on some of the construction projects that are powering economic growth.

But those apprentices were the lucky ones. Thousands of others were locked out of the economy under the Conservative government due to the snobbery of an education system which until now failed to prioritise skills and training for young people.

Apprenticeship starts for school leavers have plummeted over the past ten years while the number of young people not in employment, education or training have risen to record levels.

That’s a tragedy not only for the hundreds of thousands of young people disengaged from society but also for our country – and our economy – too.

There are people behind these sobering statistics. The hardworking school-leaver who can't find a route into the construction industry. The creative problem-solver who would thrive........

© LBC