Liam Byrne MP, Labour’s Shadow Minister for Universities, Science and Skills, commenting on the announcement of a training programme for the HS2 scheme, said:

“A year ago Ed Miliband urged the government to use the HS2 scheme to boost apprenticeships. While any new training opportunities are welcome, particularly when almost a million young people are out of work, it is a shame that this announcement - of 2,000 apprenticeships over the lifetime of the project - doesn’t match our ambition of 33,000 new places. The Tory-led government has refused to back Labour’s plans to use public procurement to create thousands of new apprenticeship opportunities across Britain.”