Apprenticeships, Skills, Children and Learning Bill

My hon. Friend mentioned the shortages in the apprenticeship market in particular sectors. Does he agree that one of those is the engineering sector? The growth in the rail industry means that there is a desperate need for well-qualified, highly trained apprentices from a national railway skills academy—a need that I have articulated on behalf of the people of Crewe. Unless we address the needs in the sectors of industry where there is a shortfall—at present, there are only 11,000 apprenticeships in engineering—we will never overcome the problems that have existed for far too long.