Women apprenticeships call

A new Unite guide aimed at encouraging women into engineering and science apprenticeships, Women apprentices, has been launched today (March 10) with the help of Labour MP, Gloria de Piero.

As part of the pink bus ‘woman to woman’ tour of 70 key constituencies Labour’s shadow minister for women and equalities took time to speak to young female apprentices at Solihull College.

De Piero held round table discussions during an event at the union’s Voices of Apprentices conference at which the focus was both work and politics.

Discussing the Unite guide de Piero said, “they have to be good quality apprenticeships. There should be a job at the end of it, you should be doing day release at college, you should get that qualification.”

She also made it clear her party is serious about the vocational route into work: “quality apprenticeships are vital and Labour say as many people should have those quality apprenticeships as go to university.”

Overall there was little talk of party politics, but instead the wider issue around engagement by young people.

“Really we have got a big job of reaching out” she said, “Getting out of Westminster and talking to people, having these personal conversations, listening and not ranting.

“It makes me realise that the challenge (in getting out the youth vote) is massive.”

She admits “politicians often talk in a language no one understands”, but on a more positive note said her trade “would be richer for some of the women apprentices in that room being in it.”