Archive for January 23rd, 2013
Wednesday, January 23rd, 2013
Conservative controlled Staffordshire County Council is celebrating the successes of its 428 apprentices and its highly successful apprenticeship scheme, which has seen it, ranked in the top 100 companies in the country for the second year running.
2012 was a good year with over 72 young people starting an apprenticeship with the Council, with plans to take on a further 80 in 2013. Staffordshire as a county is also making great headway on recruiting apprentices with over 13,561 apprentices working in a wide range of roles, which is 41% higher than 3 years ago.
To recognise and celebrate the achievements of the county’s apprentices, 2 special Recognition Awards Ceremonies will be held in March. The Awards are being supported by the Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire Local Enterprise Partnership and nominations are now being accepted, with employers being encouraged to put their best apprentices forward. Nomination forms are available from chris.bamsey@staffordshire.gov.uk the closing date is the 8th February 2013.
Staffordshire County Councillor, Ben Adams, Deputy Leader of Staffordshire County Council and Cabinet Member for Employment and Skills said, “2012 has been another exceptional year for our apprentices and our apprenticeship programme, which has provided even more opportunities to young people this year.
“A further indicator of our success is making it into the top 100 companies in England for the second year running which we are extremely proud of. The training and placing of apprentices is one of our top priorities as a Council, and is a vital part of our strategy to bring growth and prosperity to Staffordshire.
“I’m very encouraged with the number of apprentices working in many sectors in the county which now stands at just less than 14,000. As well as developing our own programme even further we will also be turning our attention to helping other employers realise the benefits of taking on an apprentice through the recently launched Apprenticeship Helpline, available on 0300 1118002.”
The New Year has got off to a great start with 24 Advanced Apprenticeships and 8 Intermediate apprentices starting in January taking the programmes apprentice numbers to 428. Placements include, business administration, Teaching Assistants, Chefs, catering staff, ICT technicians and social care assessors. The programme aims to reach the 500 milestone in 2013.
Further encouraging news for young people on the Council’s apprenticeship programme is that nine out of ten apprentices go on to gain permanent employment with the Council which is a further indicator of the quality of the programme and apprentices coming through.
For more information on Staffordshire County Council’s apprenticeship scheme, please visit www.staffordshireapprentices.org.uk.
Wednesday, January 23rd, 2013
Britons will be able to vote to leave the European Union by the end of 2017 if the Conservatives win the next general election, David Cameron has pledged.
The Prime Minister has promised to negotiate a new settlement with Brussels and then stage a straight in-out referendum on British membership if he stays in power.
In one of the defining speeches of his premiership, he declared, “It is time for the British people to have their say. It is time to settle this European question in British politics.”
He told business chiefs that the Conservative Party manifesto will include a pledge to reach a fresh agreement, to be put to the vote within the first half of a five-year Parliament.
Mr Cameron insisted that he does not want Britain to quit the 27-nation bloc and would “fight with all my heart and soul” for a yes vote when the time comes. But he conceded that public mistrust of the EU is growing and democratic consent is now “wafer thin” because its role has snowballed since the last referendum in the 1970s.
The Prime Minister said, “I never want us to pull up the drawbridge and retreat from the world. I am not a British isolationist but I do want a better deal for Britain.”
Mr Cameron wants a new treaty to reshape the EU, resolve the eurozone crisis, increase the group’s flexibility, accountability and competitiveness and allow the return of powers from Brussels. His “strong preference” is to push through reforms for the whole of the EU but he vowed to negotiate for the UK alone if other member states do not join him.
He continued, “The next Conservative manifesto in 2015 will ask for a mandate from the British people for a Conservative government to negotiate a new settlement with our European partners in the next Parliament. It will be a relationship with the single market at its heart.
“And when we have negotiated that new settlement, we will give the British people a referendum with a very simple in or out choice: to stay in the EU on these new terms or come out altogether. It will be an in-out referendum.
“Legislation will be drafted before the next election and if a Conservative Government is elected we will introduce the enabling legislation immediately and pass it by the end of that year. We will complete this negotiation and hold this referendum within the first half of the next Parliament.”
Mr Cameron rejected claims that he is undermining the British economy by tabling a vote, insisting that an exit was more likely if the issue was ignored.
In a move set to delight many Conservative MPs, he also signalled a referendum would go ahead even if he is forced into a second coalition. “If I am prime minister, this will happen,” he vowed.
Effectively issuing an ultimatum to Brussels, Mr Cameron declared, “The danger is that Europe will fail and the British people will drift towards the exit.”
He called for “fundamental, far-reaching change” as he admitted that the “EU is seen as something that is done to people, rather than acting on their behalf”.
The Prime Minister insisted that now was not the time to make a “momentous decision about the future of our country” because the EU is still reeling from the eurozone crisis. He said Britain’s exit was a question to be approached with “cool heads” and full consideration of whether it was the best move for the country.
He accepted that the scale of his task was vast but declared, “Over the coming weeks, months and years, I will not rest until this debate is won.”
The referendum pledge should help the Conservative Party combat the growing threat from UKIP and many Conservative MPs hope it will be a turning point in the battle to win power in 2015.
Mr Cameron’s speech has been months in the planning, with the delay an indication of the difficult balancing act he is attempting to achieve. It was eventually scheduled to happen in Amsterdam last Friday but was postponed because of the Algerian hostage crisis.
