WORCESTER'S MP Robin Walker has been continuing his quest to increase the appeal of business apprenticeships.

Mr Walker, who is now an aide to the Secretary of State for Education, met young apprentices from Malvern Scaffolding during a visit to a housing development site in Worcester organised by the Construction Industry Training Board.

At the site at White Ladies Close, which is being built by Stourport-based Thomas Vale Construction, Mr Walker was given a demonstration of the scaffolding process by apprentices working on the site.

He said: "It was fantastic to get on site and meet the highly motivated apprentices from Malvern Scaffolding, to hear both from a current and a former apprentice how they had benefited from the training and hands on experience that an apprenticeship can provide. It was even better to hear from their employer that they have retained and given full time jobs to all those who have completed their apprenticeships.

“After a tough few years for the construction industry it is wonderful to hear that local businesses such as Malvern Scaffolding are very busy, expanding and using their position to train up the next generation of skilled workers. It is clear that there are some high quality skilled jobs in this sector and apprenticeships can provide a perfect pathway into them for employers and employees alike."

Paul Blakeman, CITB area delivery manager for the West Midlands, added: "Apprenticeships are the lifeblood of our industry. We forecast the construction sector growing by 2.1 per cent per year in the West Midlands to 2019, meaning 2,320 extra jobs each year in our region. I hope Mr Walker’s visit will encourage other employers in the region to support apprenticeship training and help develop the industry’s future workforce.”

Jon Stone, commercial director of Malvern Scaffolding, said: "Creating and retaining a highly skilled and motivated workforce has always been a cornerstone of our company’s success, and we have always facilitated this through the CITB’s scaffolding scheme. We are very proud that 40 per cent of our workforce is either current or former apprentices. There is no better way to start this kind of career than as an apprentice. I hope Mr Walker enjoyed his visit to the site, and it’s great to know the Government is supporting the future of apprenticeships.”