Dear Sir,
Skills issues have long been a concern to many employers and in these challenging economic times we need to be more innovative in our training strategies. We also need to invest in those solutions that we know work best for us. Apprenticeships are innovative but also proven; they are an excellent way of recruiting a motivated, highly skilled, and loyal workforce. If we are truly to support the drive for economic growth, we must continue to invest in our people, and to ensure they have the opportunity to get higher level skills.
We are pleased to note that Skills Minister John Hayes has kept Apprenticeships at the forefront of government strategy to increase skills following the recent campaign launch to increase Apprenticeship places. It is essential for businesses to come together in support of this drive to recruit apprentices. We urge businesses to take advantage of this new emphasis on and funding for apprentices and take steps to include them in their training strategies. They are good for business - which is why 85,000 companies like us employ them.
We believe that our future prosperity will depend on businesses having the skills they need to compete. Apprenticeships will help us deliver this competitive edge.
Yours
Sir Roy Gardner, Chairman Compass Group plc
Willie Walsh, Chief Executive British Airways Phil Bentley, Managing Director British Gas Steven Holliday, Chief Executive, National Grid Chris Hyman, Chief Executive Serco Group Allan Cook CBE, Chairman Atkins Plc Alex Wilson, HR Director BT Andy Longden, Royal Dutch plc Executive Vice President, Treasury and Corporate Finance Anthony Massouras, Chief Executive Mimosa Healthcare Ltd Mike Turner CBE, Chairman, Babcock International Group plc George Kessler CBE, Joint Deputy Chairman Kesslers International Ltd Nigel Whitehead, Group Managing Director Programmes and Support BAE Systems plc Christine Gaskell, Member of the Board for Personnel Bentley Motors Limited Stephen Fox, Chief Executive, BAM Nuttall Limited Mark Clare, Group Chief Executive Barratt Developments David Smith, HR Director LV Hayley Tatum, Personnel Director, Tesco UK Operations Rear Admiral Al Rymer, Director of Training and Education, MOD Roger Goodman, Group Corporate Development Director MITIE Group Ian Sarson, Group Managing Director, UK and Ireland Compass Group plc Simon Swords, Managing Director Atlas Computer Systems Martyn Price, Managing Director CMC Ltd Christopher Brisley, Managing Director, Xperta Limited Eric Gresswell, Head of Retail Training and Development, Phones4u John McNamara, Chief Executive, Alliance of Sector Skills Councils Stuart Griffiths, Chief Executive, Birmingham Hippodrome Old Mutual Wealth Management |