LABOUR leader Ed Miliband used a visit to Dudley to call for a culture change on apprenticeships throughout education.

During a flying visit to Dudley College the man who wants to be the next Prime Minister chatted with students and spoke about how he wants to see schools do more to encourage vocational training.

Mr Miliband met Dudley North MP Ian Austin and Dudley South Labour candidate Natasha Millward for a tour of the college’s Evolve centre on October 10.

He told the News: “I think we should celebrate young people in this country including here in Dudley, they were go-getting, entrepreneurial and incredibly keen to get on.

“There is an issue about making sure that there is that link-up with schools, it’s about showing young people the opportunities that will be available to an apprentice.

“Some young people say to me their school said an apprenticeship is not worth bothering with – we have got to change that culture. Young people have huge potential if they are given the right opportunity.”

If Labour is elected to run the country in next year’s general election the party has pledged to create one apprenticeship for every million pounds spent on publically-funded projects and force big companies to take on an apprentice for each skilled worker they hire from outside the EU.

The Labour leader believes a change in culture needs to start from the top with the state leading the way.

He said: “We have said we want much more linkage between schools and employers, part of it is a celebration of apprenticeships and what they can do. Central government is pretty useless at offering apprenticeships.

“If you have not got government doing its bit centrally, how are you going to change the culture and make young people think it’s an opportunity?”