East Anglian businesses must keep up the momentum in providing apprenticeships to address the significant skills gap, according to a training expert. Jason Mason, commercial director at Norfolk Training Services (norfolktraining.co.uk), said the county’s companies had a strong track record in taking on apprentices, but recent political events could cause the focus on training to slip as financial planning took precedence.

He said even the Apprenticeship Levy — introduced by the Government in April to help fund training positions — may lead to a slow-down in apprentice employment in the next two years, as firms eligible to pay the levy (those with an annual pay bill of more than £3 million) adjust their finances around it.

“In recent times, Norfolk apprenticeship numbers have outpaced national figures, something that the county’s employers and their workforces can rightly be proud of.”

With the general election taking place today, Norfolk Chamber of Commerce is calling on the next Government to improve the skills set of the future workforce, to plug shortages springing up in sectors from hospitality to engineering.

Meanwhile, the Suffolk Chamber has called for more measures to protect the long-term health of the UK jobs market, including improving the transition from education to business by guaranteeing “experience of work” in all schools for under-16s.