Should firms take on more apprentices?

John Phillip

The days of youngsters learning a trade is not what it used to be.  It should be acknowledged that some some youngsters are better at hand skills than many others who have the ability to go to universities.   At one time we had the Neath Grammer School and the Neath Technical College, where most of the teachers were qualified craftsmen.  It was a situation where hand skills were taken into consideration.

Unemployed youngsters should now be trained for a hand skill in consideration for any social benefit they are receiving. Remember the old 'Youth Opportunity' schemes of the 70's?  We should revise our thinking for future generations.   The writer of this report spent five years learning a trade while having low pay.    Going back in time there was a period when one had to even pay to have an apprenticeship!    Today in this modern day and age surely our benefit structure can be part of the process?   There will surely be cries from some about using cheap labour during the training period - but it should be understood that one has to start somewhere and something has to be done to consider skills for the future.