THE rush to get people onto apprenticeships has compromised on quality and failed to support the youngest jobseekers.

These were some of the very worrying findings from the all-party Business Select Committee inquiry into schemes that are supposed to be arming people with the skills that firms are crying out for.

The Government has made increasing the number of apprenticeships a cornerstone of its growth agenda, and last year invested £1.2bn in the programme, with 457,200 people starting training as an apprentice.

No one would deny those are impressive figures, but they tell only a part of the story.

The increase in apprenticeships has mainly been among over-25s rather than teenagers, despite this region suffering shocking levels of youth unemployment.

Furthermore, the Government’s decision to replace the Train to Gain scheme of workplace training with adult apprenticeships has helped to put an artificial gloss on the figures.

In addition, the select committee said much of the growth was in industries such as retail rather than among smaller businesses or in manufacturing; sectors which the Government reckons are vital to dragging the region clear of recession.

Steve Grant, managing director of acclaimed Middlesbrough-based TTE Technical Training Group, one of the UK’s largest apprenticeship training organisations, told me: “The Chancellor George Osborne has talked about the UK manufacturing its way out of its economic problems, but that will never happen if we don’t have a skilled and competent workforce. Apprenticeship funding has to be front-loaded towards sectors that require the skills and have the ability to make a considerable impact on UK plc.

“Apprenticeships are the ideal training route to prepare people to enter industry and the Business Select Committee is completely right to highlight the importance of delivering quality over quantity. With the refined support of government and commitment from employers who can support the development and subsequently employ apprentices, important strides can be made to address the UK’s economic and skills challenges.”

However, doubts have been cast over the quality of some apprenticeship training.

The Federation of Master Builders joined calls for a clearer, statutory definition of an apprenticeship to help restore the status of the schemes.

On a positive note, on page 28 we celebrate the impact of a centre which has been hailed for the quality of its apprenticeship training since it opened in 1967.

You’d be hard pressed to find an engineering or manufacturing firm in the region that hasn’t employed someone who learned their trade at S W Durham Training (SWDT), in Newton Aycliffe. It has been the starting point for people who went on to become captains of industry, such as Stewart Wingate, the chief executive of Gatwick Airport, Mike Matthews, managing director of Nifco UK, in Eaglescliffe, near Stockton and Caroline Robinson, managing director of Husqvarna, in Spennymoor.

With a new £3.6m extension, SWDT looks set to continue its role as one of the foundations of our engineering sector for years to come. It is proof that apprenticeships, when they are delivered properly and to a specification that industry needs, are as vital to the health of the North-East economy as they were 45 years ago.