Rebecca Harris welcomes news that the Armed Forces are Britain’s biggest apprenticeship provider          

In the House of Commons last week, Rebecca Harris MP welcomed the news that HM Armed Forces are Britain’s biggest provider of apprenticeships.

Speaking during Defence Questions, Rebecca asked the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Defence, Mark Lancaster MP, ‘What support the armed forces provide to apprenticeships?’. Rebecca was pleased to learn from the Minister that there are around 20,000 apprentices on programmes at any one time, ranging from engineering and IT to construction and driving. The Minister also confirmed that the Ministry of Defence has pledged to start 50,000 apprenticeships during this Parliament.

Pressing the Minister further, Rebecca also sought assurances on the quality of the apprenticeships on offer. Rebecca was pleased to hear that following Ofsted inspections both the Army and the Navy were graded as ‘good’ while the RAF’s scheme was graded ‘outstanding’.

Commenting on the response Rebecca said:

“I was expecting a good reply but not to find out that the armed forces were the largest provider in the country. It really is excellent news and I was also reassured by the Minister’s comments about the quality of the schemes on offer. It is vital that we are offering good quality apprenticeships to get more young people earning and learning, with the prospect of a good job and a more secure future ahead of them. I would certainly recommend that any Castle Point resident considering an apprenticeship has a look into the schemes offered by the Armed Forces. ”