MY passion in politics has been apprenticeships and skills – my first speech in Parliament was about careers and apprenticeship guidance in schools and, over the past 10 years, I have employed apprentices in my office, set up the three-year Parliamentary Apprenticeship Scheme and have worked with the NUS to establish an apprenticeship discount card.

Last week marked an important moment in the country’s history as the House of Commons debated the Skills and Post-16 Education Bill. This is a hugely welcome piece of legislation which will revitalise an incredibly important part of the economy which has seen its ‘per student’ funding reduced by more than 11 per cent since 2010.

The Lifetime Skills Guarantee, the Kickstart programme and the increased support for FE colleges offer a revolutionary approach to building the apprenticeship and skills nation like never before. But I have always lived by the words ‘good, better, best’ which is why I tabled three amendments to the Bill to extend the ladder of opportunity to those who need it most.

My first amendment sought to ensure that prisoners can begin apprenticeships whilst they are serving their sentence which would be key to reducing re-offending rates (currently set at 42 per cent across the country), strengthening the workforce and helping to fill the nation’s skills gaps. The absence of apprenticeships in prisons is a huge obstacle to improving employment outcomes.

The second amendment sought to provide funding which would allow adults to undertake a Level 2 qualification providing they can demonstrate their intent to progress into Level 3.

The Lifelong Learning Entitlement is a very positive intervention made by the Government to allow adults to undertake Level 3 qualifications, but we know that for many, they will not have the skills needed to go straight into Level 3 without further support.

Indeed, the Education Select Committee, which I chair, heard that six million adults do not have a Level 2 qualification (the equivalent of a GCSE) and that 49 per cent of adults from the lowest socio-economic group have received no training since leaving school.

Level 2 qualifications are a key stepping stone of progression for those with lower skills. Not having this support would be like asking someone who has little maths ability to dive straight into the deep end of A-levels without first learning to swim by taking GCSEs.

I recognise the cost issue involved but I urge the Government to use the opportunity of the next spending review to consider the funding options available, especially through utilising the underspends of the Adult Education Budget to support this measure.

My final, and perhaps most important amendment, sought to increase the amount of careers guidance encounters young people have whilst at school with technical and vocational education providers – namely to toughen up the Baker Clause.

I was the Skills Minister responsible for bringing in the Baker Clause in 2017 but despite the good intention of all involved, it grieves me to say it is not being implemented properly.

According to the IPPR, just two in five schools are currently complying with its requirements and Ofsted do not consider it a major part of their inspection process. Chief Inspector Amanda Spielman told the Education Committee that careers guidance was only an element in the judgments used to assess a school, “but it is not set up as a limiting factor”.

When I meet apprentices around the country, eight out of 10 tell me they did not know that apprenticeship pathways existed. How can it be that although we are building an apprenticeship and skills nation, we are not giving our young people the chance to learn about these avenues that exist to support their careers.

Surely now is the time to banish the snobbery of traditional academic routes into higher education and under-funding, saying “goodbye to Mr Chips and hello to James Dyson”.

In the age of the fourth industrial revolution where AI and robots will be king, access to vocational and technical routes is essential to build the skills capital we need to meet these challenges. Instead of the age-old mantra of “university, university, university”, it must be “skills, skills, skills”.

Only by doing so can the Department for Education show it truly means business when it comes to skills and levelling up opportunities for everyone to reach their full potential.

Robert Halfon is a Tory MP and chair of the Education Select Committee.

University or bust is a myth, apprenticeships are key to build nation of skills - Robert Halfon