RUSHES: Keir Starmer speech at North East Chamber of Commerce

Keir Starmer speech at North East Chamber of Commerce; Part 8 of 19 ENGLAND: County Durham: INT Sir Keir Starmer MP (Labour leader) speech SOT. - "Welders in the Tees Valley – I know there’s a skills shortage for precision welders here. And I’ve seen that in the Local Skills Improvement plan this Chamber wrote. I know you don’t want that plan gathering dust. You want it to drive the courses delivered at your local FE colleges. And that is exactly what we will guarantee. Because we want to end the years of businesses feeling hopeless about missing skills. Give you the tools to do something about it. You should have more say over how you invest in your workforce. And at the moment – as you well know – the Apprenticeship Levy simply isn’t flexible enough. Your hands are tied. Unable to deliver the full breadth of skills that you need. So we’d transform it into a new Growth and Skills Levy. Giving you more power over the training your money can buy. But it’s not just on you. Government has to step up as well. Too many young people are leaving education without basic skills… Maths, digital skills, communication and teamwork. Skills we know every business needs. So Labour would deliver higher standards in our schools. Every child taught by expert teachers… A broader curriculum. Real world maths from an early stage. Preparing the next generation. To make sure that they are ready for work and ready for life. That’s what ending the tax breaks on Private Schools will deliver. Opportunity for all. Skills for business. Growth for the nation.