Labour leader Ed Miliband has pledged that a Labour government would make it mandatory for private sector companies on public contracts to employ apprentices.
Mr Miliband was delivering his address to the Labour party conference in Manchester today.
He said he wanted a change from firms that “don’t train, poaching workers” from firms that do and pledged that Labour would make it mandatory to employ apprentices on public sector contracts.
Steve Murphy, general secretary of construction union UCATT, said: “The pledge that government procurement rules will be used to ensure that apprentices are trained on public sector projects will dramatically change the construction industry, reducing skills gaps and improving productivity.”
This year the Labour leader has also pledged to review the case for an extension of the Gangmasters Licensing Act to cover the construction industry, while he also called for short-term support for the industry in an interview with CN last year.
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