Apprenticeships could help solve our youth unemployment crisis, if we took them seriously

Almost ten years ago, I made the difficult decision to stop A-Level provision at our college. We decided to focus on providing outstanding vocational provision instead, writes Sam Parrett

Rishi Sunak has pledged to pay employers to take on apprentices and tripling the number of traineeships in England. But this is a short-term fix (Getty)

As we begin to emerge from an unprecedented economic deep freeze, the government is clearly focused on getting things moving. This is reflected in the Chancellor’s statement today, which promises a range of financial measures, including VAT cuts and revised stamp duty thresholds.

Encouragingly, Rishi Sunak has also recognised the great importance of technical education – pledging to pay employers to take on apprentices and tripling the number of traineeships in England.

As important, and hopefully as helpful, as these measures are, it’s crucial that we also look ahead to a much longer-term strategy. The post-Covid 19 world will undoubtedly have a different economic landscape, but what hasn’t changed is the fact that over 800,000 young people will be collecting exam results next month and trying to decide what to do next in an uncertain world.