'Another day, another Lib Dem offering more apprenticeship funding' - Farron

South Lakes MP Tim Farron has thanked the Lib Dem-run South Lakeland District Council for putting a further £5,000 into a scheme announced yesterday to fund apprenticeships in the South Lakes.

Yesterday, the County Council's Lib Dem-run Local Committee announced that they will keep funding apprenticeships with a grant of £20,000 building on their work in previous years. They have also earmarked a further £10,000 to fund a new pilot project to provide traineeships or work experience for disadvantaged young people.

Tim has today thanked both local councils and the business community for their support for new apprenticeships as the latest government figures show that over 22,000 apprenticeships have been created in Cumbria since 2010.

Tim said:"More important than the headline figures and the funding we have secured are the human stories behind them. More people have a job, and a chance to train and learn compared to last year. That is more people and their families who are seeing the chance of a well-paid job move a step closer. This is fantastic news and shows that local campaigning really does pay off and make a difference.

"I want to thank local councillors and, especially for today's announcement, South Lakeland District Council for backing apprenticeships and putting their money where their mouth is."

Cllr Chris Hogg, South Lakeland District Council's Portfolio Holder for Culture, Arts and Events added: "SLDC are delighted to be involved in this scheme. We are very keen to help young people into work and are employing four more apprenticeships directly this year."