Young should not suffer a lack of education and training opportunities

Young people are among the biggest victims of Labour’s economic mismanagement, with almost 900,000 not in any kind of job or training, says Beverley and Holderness Conservative candidate Graham Stuart.

He said a Conservative government would not accept another generation being consigned to an uncertain future of worklessness and dependency.

Graham said: “Our plans to deliver an extra 400,000 training opportunities over the next two years will ensure everyone gets the good start they deserve.

“For 13 years Labour has done its worst, now it is time for us to do our best. Our schools are some of the worst funded in the country and our college fell victim to the funding fiasco of the Labour inspired Learning and Skills Council (LSC).”

And he added: “I have fought hard, and hope to continue fighting to make sure East Riding College gets the money it needs to relocate to Flemingate in Beverley.”

The College, currently based on Gallows Lane, has outgrown its current campus and is looking to develop a purpose built new facility on the site of the former British Army Transport museum in Flemingate, Beverley.

After being told the project would be funded by the LSC the College was later told it, along with hundreds of other colleges, would not get the cash because the LSC had over stretched its own budget.

Graham has already raised the issue in the House of Commons, met with College staff, property developers and members of the LSC to try and make sure funding is made available.

A Conservative government will:

• Provide 10,000 extra university places in 2010;
• Introduce an early repayment bonus on student loans which are repaid ahead of schedule;
• Work to improve the way that universities are funded so that students get a fair deal, disadvantaged young people don’t miss out and researchers get the funding they need;
• Provide people with much better information about the true costs and benefits of going to university and help people choose the course and institution which is right for them;
• Create an extra 100,000 apprenticeships and pre-apprenticeships each year;
• Give small and medium businesses a £2,000 bonus for every new apprentice they hire, and make it much easier for firms to run apprenticeships;
• Provide an extra 100,000 college places over two years so unemployed young people can improve their skills;
• Provide 100,000 new ‘work pairings’ over two years so unemployed young people can get meaningful work experience and mentoring from businesspeople;
• Offer much better careers advice, including providing expert advice in every secondary school and college and setting up a new careers service for adults.
• Establish a Community Learning Fund to help adults who want to learn new skills or restart their careers;
• Abolish many of the further education quangos which Labour have created, and cut bureaucracy and inspections in colleges so teaching staff can spend less time in the office and more time in the classroom; and
• Delay the implementation of the new funding system for universities – the Research Excellence Framework – and work with academics to ensure that there is a robust and acceptable way of measuring the impact of all research.