320,000 new climate apprenticeships promised by Labour

Speaking to the Confederation of British Industry, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn will announce that a Labour government will creat​e a climate apprenticeship programme to deliver 320,000 apprenticeships in England during its first term in government.

Showcasing reforms to the apprenticeship levy to better meet the needs of workers and employers, and tackle the climate emergency, Corbyn will argue that the programme will have created 886,000 apprenticeships by 2030. It is believed that climate apprenticeships will upskill the UK workforce so that UK companies can compete and succeed in the new economy.

As part of the move, businesses will benefit from an average of 80,000 people per year being trained as apprentice engineers and technicians in renewable energy and transport, civil engineers and skilled tradespeople in sustainable construction, designers, welders and fabricators in low carbon industries, and sustainable agriculture and forestry specialists.

These apprenticeships will be open to new starters and those wanting to retrain, and will be funded by diverting 25 per cent of the funds employers already set aside through the Apprenticeship Levy and topped up by any dividends over the cap paid into Labour’s Inclusive Ownership Funds – expected to be £700 million by 2024.

Corbyn is expected to say: “Labour’s Green Industrial Revolution will be a central motor of the party’s plans to transform our country and economy, using public investment to create good, clean jobs, tackle the climate emergency and rebuild held back towns, cities and communities. Climate apprenticeships will offer training to school leavers and workers looking to change jobs mid-career, creating the engineers, technicians and construction workers we need to transition to a green economy.

“This election is our last chance to tackle the climate emergency. The Tories have failed to invest in our economy, failed to deliver apprenticeships and failed to face up to the climate emergency. Labour will deliver real change.”