West Worcestershire MP Harriett Baldwin has today welcome great local progress delivering new apprenticeships opportunities for young people. Government figures released today show that 770 people started on apprenticeships in West Worcestershire last year – with 3560 people currently on apprentice programmes. Across the West Midlands apprenticeship numbers have gone up by 17 per cent and the Government has committed to delivering three million more high-quality apprenticeships by 2020. Harriett commented: “Apprenticeships form a crucial part of our national plan to improve the skills and capabilities of our workforce. Each week, I meet with local employers who tell me that they are using this process to recruit and develop local staff. “Only last week, I met with Morgan Motors which depends on young apprentices to fill its vacancies and it is an essential tool for helping to pass on traditional engineering skills to the next generation of car makers. “Whether it is working in traditional industries or even learning a high-tech cyber security skill, apprenticeships are at the backbone of our countries long-term economic plan. “I am delighted to see more and more people taking on a high-quality apprenticeship and will continue to support the local programmes which match employers to the talent of the future.”