D day for the London Mayoral election is quickly creeping upon us. For those of you have not been paying attention, on Thursday this week Londoners will come out to vote for their next Mayor.
While seven candidates have put their name forward for election, polls suggest that Boris has the edge over the other six.
But before you go to the polling station on Thursday morning yesMinister has gone through Ken’s (Labour) and Boris’ (Conservative) and Brian’s (Liberal Democrats) manifestos picking out their key policies on Training, Skills and Employment.
What Boris says…..
During the course of this campaign, Mr Johnson has continuously highlighted that he has doubled apprenticeships in London during his time in office.
If elected he plans to create an additional 100,000 apprenticeships in the city by the end of the year. He also promises to generate 250,000 new apprenticeships by 2016.
To encourage apprenticeship take up, Mr Johnson plans to extend the 18+ scheme to apprentices entitling them to a 30 per cent discount on season tickets through TfL.
What Ken says….
To help young people to continue their education, Ken Livingston has announced that he will restore the London-wide Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA) providing a weekly allowance of up to £30 to 85,000 young people in London.
Concerning apprenticeships, Mr Livingstone promises to create a London Apprenticeship Offer to increase the quality of the apprenticeship programmes in London and to encourage connection between apprentices and employers.
Finally, Mr Livingstone also wants to create pre-apprenticeship courses, which will support 1,000 young people to develop the literary, numerical and personal skills required to successfully apply for an apprenticeship place.
What Brian says…
Mr Paddick outlines that in order to resolve youth employment he will create a London Youth Contract. He outlines that he will create an apprenticeship alliance which will help unemployed young people gain experience and skills. Graduates will also get six months real work experience which will lead to a job.
Beyond youth employment policy Brain also outlines that if elected he will bring the £653m spent each year on adult skills under the control of the London Mayor and appoint a new Business Board to put employers and business in the lead.
