The chair of the North East STEM Foundation has welcomed new funding for apprenticeships while cautioning that financial investment on its own will not resolve long standing issues around perception and access.
The comments follow an announcement by Sir Keir Starmer confirming £725m in funding to create 50,000 new apprenticeships. The scheme is expected to focus on areas including AI, hospitality and engineering, as the Government seeks to address falling participation.
The number of young people starting apprenticeships has dropped by almost 40 per cent over the last ten years. The new apprenticeships investment is intended to reverse that trend and strengthen skills development across key sectors of the economy.
NESF Chair Tania Cooper MBE said the funding was positive but stressed that broader cultural change was required if apprenticeships were to succeed.
“This investment is welcome, but money alone doesn’t change mindsets. Apprenticeships must be viewed with the same value as degrees, as prestigious, high-value and career-defining choices. Young people deserve real, respected alternatives to university, not options that are treated as an afterthought.”
She also highlighted the role of smaller businesses in ensuring the apprenticeships investment leads to tangible outcomes for young people entering the workforce.
“We also believe this must go further in encouraging and supporting SMEs to provide more workplace apprenticeship placements. Creating funding is one thing, but helping young people secure real placements and job opportunities must be a key objective of any programme.”
Ms Cooper said that improving access to apprenticeships was particularly important in the North East, where demand for technical skills remains high.
She noted that the region “needs a pipeline of skilled engineers and technicians” and said the wider economy “depends on it”.
