Education Secretary inspired after meeting apprentices in Blyth

The minister visited the Offshore Renewable Energy Catapult in Blyth where she met with apprentices and staff working on the research, testing and development of offshore renewable energy tech.

Northumberland County Council leader Glen Sanderson said: “We were really pleased to show the Education Minister round the centre during her visit to Blyth and emphasise our commitment to training and apprenticeships here in Northumberland.”

The Chichester MP also visited a windfarm off the Blyth coast with Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, Claire Coutinho.

Posting on social media, Mrs Keegan said: “Claire Coutinho and I met some inspiring apprentices working at a wind farm just off the coast of Blyth. Our apprenticeship reforms over the last decade mean that now, you can access nearly 70% of occupations via an apprenticeship.”

Miss Coutinho said it was “brilliant” to meet the engineering apprentices working in the offshore wind sector, adding: “Choppy waters aside, there was nothing but excitement for the bright futures they all have ahead of them.”

ORE Catapult is the largest wind turbine blade test facility in the world, and the Secretary of State saw the blade testing hall in action. She also visited the 15MW offshore wind powertrain test hall.

Mrs Keegan’s visit came in the week that Northumberland Labour revealed the number of apprentices in Northumberland had fallen by almost half since 2015. Government data showed that apprenticeship starts in Northumberland fell by 46.4% from 4,030 in 2015 to just 2,160.

Northumberland Labour’s Angie Scott said: “Families in Northumberland want to see their children do well and get on, and apprenticeships are a great route to doing exactly that. But under the Conservatives fewer and fewer young people are able to find opportunities to take up a place.

“Labour will reverse this trend, giving businesses the flexibility they need to train people up with new skills from digital technologies to the green skills needed to tackle climate change.”

Responding, deputy leader of the council Richard Wearmouth said: “As one of the region’s largest employers, the council is committed to provide high quality career pathways.

"We have had over 400 new recruits starting their careers with Northumberland County Council as apprentices in the last four years.

“We also had 87 apprentices complete their apprenticeships within the last 12 months and will be launching a recruitment drive for more this spring.

"The Northumberland Skills Welding and Fabrication Technical Training Centre in the Port of Blyth supports this ambition, equipping residents of all ages with the skills they need to kickstart their career in advanced manufacturing, engineering, construction, marine and clean energy sectors.

“The investment in the welding centre has also added to the capacity to train apprentices. We have apprentices from across the region attending this state of the art centre and when the Energy Central Learning Hub opens in September we will be able to increase the capacity to train more and contribute to the workforce needs.

“We will continue to work closely with our partners in the port, and beyond, so we can support them by investing in the workforce of the future and bring more skilled jobs and rewarding careers to Northumberland.”