A GROUP of 15 Apprentices from West Cheshire College were given front row seats to see Prime Minster Gordon Brown deliver his key note speech at the TUC Annual Conference in Liverpool.

The visit was arranged by Ellesmere Port MP Andrew Miller to give the Apprentices a chance to hear the PM talk firsthand about the importance of the programme.

During his speech the Prime Minster discussed the importance of Apprenticeships in today’s climate and the plans for taking this forward in the future to ensure that apprenticeship opportunities were available for all eligible young people.

He said:"This is not the moment to cut apprenticeships this is the time for government to support them. So I can tell you that we will provide 21,000 additional apprenticeships in the public sector this year."

"For the first time, we will put the apprenticeship programme on a statutory basis and ensure that an apprenticeship place is available for every suitably qualified young person by 2013."

The College Apprentices were drawn from a range of employers throughout the area including Unilever, Vauxhall, Sellafield, Nike and three of the College’s own Apprentices.

Workforce Development Partnerships Co-ordinator Emma Worthington said: “This was a fantastic opportunity for our Apprentices. Not only did they get front row seats but they heard the speech highlighting how important Apprenticeships are coming straight from the PM.”

For more information on becoming or taking on Apprentices call the College Hotline on 01244 670600.