KAREN Lumley MP recently visited Redditch company Faun Zoeller to discuss apprenticeships with chief executive officer Simon Hyde.

As a former apprentice himself, Mr Hyde shares Mrs Lumley's passion for apprenticeships and is extremely keen and active in the development of young talent.

Over the last five years, the company has sponsored the APSE apprenticeship scheme and have also committed to a further five years of sponsorship of this award.

Later this month he will be taking five of the finalists from APSE awards to their production facility in Bremen for a tour of one of their factories and also to meet some of the 45 apprentices the company has in Germany.

FAUN Zoeller UK Limited has also taken on five new apprentices this year, who will be based at various locations in the UK.

In Mrs Lumley's constituency as a whole, apprenticeships are up by over 55 per cent with more than 3,500 new apprentices since 2010.

She said: "It was great to meet Simon and to hear his real and obvious enthusiasm for apprenticeships.

"Like me he is pleased to have seen the rise in apprenticeships in recent years but also keen to see changes made in order to enable more young people to become apprentices.

"Whenever I meet with local employers one of our main topics of discussion is always how to get more young people into their businesses.

"Apprentices are the CEOs and managing directors of the future, and companies need young people in order to build their businesses. I will be working with Simon and with other local employers in the future to help secure the future of our young people."