THE Liberal Democrats claim there has been a “massive reduction” in apprenticeships during the Conservative Government - but the Tories say their “plan is working.”

House of Commons Library research, analysed by the Lib Dems, has revealed the number of people starting apprenticeships in Taunton Deane has fallen by 22.81 per cent since 2015-16.

The figure comes as the Conservative Party announces a new policy to boost apprenticeship numbers, despite a decline of 172,000 apprenticeship starts per-year in England.

Gideon Amos, the Liberal Democrat Parliamentary candidate for Taunton and Wellington, said: “When I visited Bridgwater and Taunton College with the former Secretary of State for Business Vince Cable in 2019, it was clear they had benefited from his creation of two million apprenticeships up to 2015, after which the Conservatives took over the government.

"The massive reduction in apprenticeships since is disastrous. 

"The Conservatives seem to just keep taking opportunities away from our young people - our children and grandchildren in Taunton and Wellington and across the country - and by failing on apprenticeships they have also failed our local businesses and entrepreneurs, the things our economy really needs. 

“That’s why, as Liberal Democrats, we are committed to increasing apprentices so they’re no longer treated as second class citizens and to reform the apprenticeship levy to boost numbers and stop the massive decline in apprenticeships we’ve seen under the Conservative government.”

The Liberal Democrats say the party is committed to increase pay for apprenticeships to at least the minimum wage and for the apprenticeship levy to be scrapped. 

But a spokesman for the Conservative Party has responded to the claims and said the Lib Dem’ pledge to scrap the Apprenticeship Levy would reduce our apprenticeship budget to £0.

The spokesman said: “They have no idea what they are talking about. 

“Since 2010, we have built a world-class apprenticeship system from the ground up – delivering over 5.8 million apprenticeships since 2010, including 12,500 in Taunton Deane.

“Our plan is working. We must stick to it to deliver 100,000 more high-skilled apprenticeships a year so young people have the opportunities they deserve to secure high-skilled jobs and a brighter future.”