ECA CEO comes out in support of government apprenticeship initiative

Steve Bratt, group CEO of the Electrical Contractors' Association (ECA) has voiced his support for the government's Specification of Apprenticeship Standards for England (SASE), which was published this week.

"The government has firmly reinforced its long term commitment to addressing the apprenticeship issue with its introduction of the SASE requirements. This move propels apprenticeships to their rightful status in employment as the lifeblood of our industries, giving a concrete framework to training and standards."

"This is a positive move for British industry as tying training requirements to industry needs has now become a legal requirement, something we have been calling for repeatedly over the years. This move will go a long way towards developing the UK as a highly skilled economy."

Bratt concluded by saying: "This is real progress, but as the government rightly emphasises, a significant part of these apprenticeships will be work based. As such, help needs to be available to encourage employers to take on and train apprentices, as although a very worthwhile investment, it is still expensive to do so - especially for SMEs."