Sir - For a long time I have been concerned about the forgotten army of young people who do not go to university.

University may have worked for many people; but many of forgotten 50 per cent of young people that don’t currently go to university are being let down.

We need joined-up qualifications at every level, including pathways on to gold-standard apprenticeships and careers, ensuring that employers and young people have the skills they need to succeed.

We need to introduce new vocational schools and qualifications including Technical Degrees for young people in schools and colleges and work with employers to radically improve the quantity and quality of apprenticeships. We need to better understand the skills employers are seeking and to match their requirements to the training we provide.

It means equipping our young people with the skills they need and providing our country with a reason to be confident for the future so we can compete with the very best economies in the world in a race to the top. If the current government is unable or unwilling to do this they need to make way for a new government that will.

Richard Udall

County Councillor for St John’s