Liverpool, Wirral, Halton and Cheshire councils named and shamed in filing apprenticeships league

Feb 4 2010 by Michelle Fiddler, Liverpool Daily Post

Wirral Council

TOWN halls were “named and shamed” yesterday for failing to rescue young people from the dole queues by signing them up as apprentices.

Communities Secretary John Denham demanded to know why some Merseyside and Cheshire councils had recruited up to seven times as many apprentices as others.

Mr Denham heaped praise on St Helens (one apprentice for every 83 staff), Knowsley (one for every 111 staff) and Warrington (one for every 145 staff).

But he questioned the efforts made by Wirral (one apprentice for every 481 staff), Liverpool (one for every 354 staff), Halton (one for every 560 staff) and Cheshire West and Cheshire (one for every 308 staff).

Wirral Borough Council immediately hit back at Mr Denham, insisting he had ignored its efforts to fund apprenticeships at private companies – rather than among its own workforce.

The council has spent around £2.5m creating 150 places at businesses including construction, engineering, hospitality and tourism.

Cllr Phil Davies, Cabinet member for Children’s Services, said: “We have invested a lot in apprenticeships over the last nine months, but the vast majority are in the private sector.

“We took the view that it was small and medium-sized enterprises that were really struggling in the recession, so they should be the priority – and take-up has been tremendous.”