It’s a gas

Gordon Brown has recently visited and endorsed the British Gas Energy Academy in Leicester.

Emphasising the importance of apprentices to the future economy, and in particular the potential for green technologies, Brown highlighted the 2,600 new green jobs to be created by British Gas by 2012 to roll out new meters.

He said: “You don’t need me to tell you that apprenticeships are good for business and good for Britain. You know from your own experience - whether as an apprentice or as an employer - the benefits that they can bring.

“I’ve just been meeting some of the young apprentices here at the academy, who were demonstrating low-carbon technologies like solar panels and the new ‘smart meters’ - and I know that only this morning British Gas announced the creation of 2,600 new green jobs by 2012 to lead the roll-out of these meters across the country, with many of the new recruits set to be trained right here in Leicester.

“Times are tough at the moment, but the economic slowdown must not be an excuse to slow down the pace of investment and reform - so on Monday the government published our plan for Building Britain’s Future and for putting us firmly on the path to a fairer, stronger and more prosperous society for all.

“A big part of that will be about seizing future opportunities for economic growth - investing in the skills and talents of the next generation and, with it, the future prosperity of our country.

“That’s why we’ve increased government funding for apprenticeships to its highest level ever - more than £1 billion this year - and why, at the start of the year, we announced an extra £140 million to deliver another 35,000 apprenticeships, taking us to more than a quarter of a million.”

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