Visiting Egger to see how the apprentice training programme is going

It was great to revisit Egger several years on from when Michael Egger and I opened the apprentice academy. It is clearly going really well and providing priceless training to the local engineers and various other specialists that are needed to keep Hexham's key employer up and running. There is no doubt that all the local apprentices I met were really enthusiastic about working there. A really uplifting visit. By way of flashback here is the announcement and opening many years ago:
http://guyopperman.blogspot.co.uk/2013/10/egger-engineering-academy-another-step.html

Job figures for Hexham constituency show progress in that they are up 10% again when compared to last year

The number of unemployed in the receipt of JSA is 495 people. This is still too high but it is down 47 on last year and down 677 as compared to 2010. Full credit to the Job Centre Support team in Hexham and all the people who helped hold our Jobs Fair, which I know made a difference.

The change in employment since 2010 - private / total jobs up, public sector down: great graph by the Spectator

Hexham Jobs Fair sees results as unemployment drops - claimant count down locally and employment up in the wider North East

A summary of yesterdays latest employment numbers below, covering the period 1 July – 30 September 2015:
The total number of Jobseeker's Allowance claimants in Hexham constituency in October 2015 was 428.

• The number of claimants is 139 lower than in October 2014 and 20 lower than in September 2015.
  There were 100 claimants aged 18-24 in Hexham constituency in October 2015, 65 lower than in October 2014.

Employment in the North East stands at 1,166,000 or 68.3% - an increase of 2,000 over the quarter and 1,000 over the year. This compares to a rate of 73.7% nationally.

• 10,000 fewer 16-24 year olds in the North East are unemployed compared to a year ago, a fall of 18.3%. The youth unemployment rate stands at 22.5%, a fall of 2.3% over the year.
• The pictures below show some of the people who came to our jobs fair, who created jobs and made it happen and one lucky recipient of a local job

New employment statistics show our plan for a high-employment and high wage economy is working.

Today’s figures are excellent news. At 73.7 per cent our employment rate has never been higher and we are moving towards the goal of full employment that we committed to in our manifesto.  

With full-time employees making up three quarters of the increase in employment over the past year and wages rising three per cent, it is clear that our plan for a high-employment and high-wage economy is working.

But we cannot rest. We have over 700,000 job vacancies showing we have an opportunity to help unemployed people back into work. And we must guarantee our economy creates new jobs by ensuring we have a government that lives within its means and our economic recovery is sustained.

Key statistics

Employment: 31.21 million (up 419,000 over the past year and up over 2.1 million since 2010).

• Employment rate: 73.7 per cent (up 0.7 points over the past year and up 3.5 points since 2010).

• Unemployment: 1.75 million (down 210,000 over the past year and down 760,000 since 2010).

• Unemployment rate: 5.3 per cent (down 0.7 points over the past year and down 2.6 points since 2010).

• Claimant count (Jobseeker’s Allowance and Universal Credit not in work): 795,500 in October (down 139,100 on last year and down 699,300 since 2010).

• Wages: average total pay rose by three per cent over the last year. Inflation over the same period was close to flat.

Other useful statistics:

 The employment rate is at the highest in our history - at 73.7 per cent of people aged 16-64.

• Unemployment has fallen to a seven year low – at 5.3 per cent
• There are more women in work than ever before with 975,000 more women in work since 2010, and the number of unemployed women down by 80,000 over the year.
• Youth unemployment is at its lowest level since early 2006, and the employment rate for young people who have left full-time education is up to 74.3 per cent, the highest in more than a decade
• Among older people (50-64), employment is up 72,000 on the quarter and 234,000 on the year to a record 8.3 million.

• The number of long-term unemployed people has fallen by 25 per cent in the last year to 514,000 – the lowest level in six years

• Vacancies were at 736,000 in the three months to October, up 37,000 on the year and 274,000 since 2010.
  Labour always try and tell Britain that all these jobs are part-time, insecure and poorly paid – in fact:

• Three-quarters of the growth in employment since 2010 has been full-time.
• Only 2.4 per cent of people in work are on zero-hours contracts. Unlike the last Labour Government, who did nothing, we have taken action to clamp down on abuses by banning exclusivity contracts.  
• Real wages are rising strongly. 

Tynedale Work Clubs really making a difference

Two weeks ago I went to Number 28 in the East End of Hexham and met with some of the team who are helping people locally find employment through work clubs. Whilst the Job Centre Plus office are very good there is much to be said for the personal touch and local assistance in Haltwhistle, Hexham, Bellingham and Prudhoe that The Work Clubs provide. It is a free chat, some mentoring and assistance and a coffee from someone who is there to help. Have a read below and go along if you can.

Ronnie Campbell, PMQs, yoga, the Speaker, jobs, transport and too much curry - an interesting tale

My Northumberland neighbour, Ronnie Campbell, the hard left Labour MP for Blyth Valley, always sits in the commons on the front row next to Dennis Skinner, his hero. To speak to he is perfectly civil. He is a confirmed eurosecptic and wants to leave the EU right away.
But, every time the latest jobs figures, and the positive employment news are mentioned in the commons he always says "but it is terrible in the north east". Aside from his relentless negativity about his home region Ronnie is also factually wrong both on the North East generally, and his own seat of Blyth Valley. To help I have extracted the latest Blyth valley figures:

The Blyth Valley unemployment figures are as follows:
Between May 2014-2015 unemployment fell [according to House of Commons independent figures - Briefing paper 7229, June 17 2015]:
- 18-24 year old claimants dropped by 20.9% = 115 young men and women
- 50 and over claimants dropped by 11.4% = 40 men and women
- long term = more than 12 months unemployed fell by 30.4% = 210 men and women
I could go on a out these stats and the apprenticeship stats which are also good.

Which brings me to last Wednesdays exchange at PMQs:
On this occasion whilst everyone was lauding the technical and engineering masterpiece that is Crossrail, the underground rail tunnel across London, he went purple with rage about how the government was spending money on London. It is true that Crossrail is very expensive, at over £15 billion, and therefore distorts transport spend across the country, but Ronnie always forgets that this Crossrail project was commissioned, authorised and then passed through parliament and started by the last Labour government before 2010!!! And Labour / Ronnie voted repeatedly for this.The full history is here:http://www.crossrail.co.uk/route/crossrail-from-its-early-beginnings

On last Wednesday Ronnies chunterings upset the speaker who intervened as follows:
Mr Speaker: "Mr Campbell, it is all that hot curry! It is getting to you. Calm yourself, man! Calm down. Maybe a bit of yoga would help."
The full extract from this debate is here: http://www.theyworkforyou.com/debates/?id=2015-06-17b.309.4&s=crossrail+speaker%3A11308#g313.4
Ronnie is a nice person I stress, but on these two issues Ronnie is most specifically wrong.

North East Unemployment figures are more proof the Long Term Economic Plan is working

The latest stats on unemployment rates for the quarter Nov-Jan 2015 have just been released this week and they contain more excellent economic news for the North East. The headline stats are:

• employment in the North East is now at its highest ever level
• unemployment rate in the North East fell by 1.4% on the quarter, which is the largest percentage fall of any region/country in the UK
• the fall in the unemployment rate in the North East was almost five times the national average percentage fall of 0.3%
• unemployment in the North East was 123,000 a year ago and has now fallen to 99,000—a percentage fall on the year of 17.6%
• Private Sector employment is up 60,000 in the North East since 2010
• 47,000 more people in employment in the North east than in May 2010
• 27,000 more businesses in the North East than in May 2010
• 143,780 apprenticeships started in the North east since May 2010
• 119,000 people out of income tax altogether since May 2010
• Tax threshold up from £6500 to £10,600 from 2010= tax cut for every working for millions and especially the low paid.

North East exports grow as National figures fall - proof our businesses are leading the way

http://www.thejournal.co.uk/business/business-news/north-east-exports-continue-grow-8780121

Apprenticeships in the North East are transforming the jobs market for young and old

North East apprenticeships have doubled over last ten years. In the North East 30,480 young people started an apprenticeship last year compared to just 13,460 a decade ago in 2005/6 latest figures
show. Two million apprenticeships have been created in the UK since 2010, with 143,000 young people in the North East now getting solid training to start their careers.

In Northumberland 16,640 apprenticeships have been created since 2010, the second highest in the region, behind Durham which has seen a record 28,290 apprenticeships since 2010. In Newcastle 11,670 new apprenticeships have been created since 2010

Figures recently released by the Skills Funding Agency and Department for Business, Innovation & Skills show that in the Hexham constituency 670 apprenticeships were started, compared to 430 in 2009. Just about every set of facts and figures tells the same story. Apprenticeships are up across our region and helping to end the scourge of youth unemployment we saw under the last government. Unemployment is down by over 36% since the 2010 General Election and youth unemployment has also fallen.

When I first became an MP in 2010 one of the key messages I was hearing from business was that as a region we were failing to provide our young people with the skills they needed for work. It will be a
long road to completely turn it around, but we are doing very well. 

North East Job Figures - employment up, unemployment down NECC verdict is a big thumbs up

EMPLOYMENT UP, UNEMPLOYMENT DOWN – LABOUR MARKET FIGURES PROVIDE GREAT START TO 2015

NORTH East Chamber of Commerce (NECC) response to today’s labor market estimates.

 

Headline figures for the North East:
·         Employment in the North East stands at 1,151,000 or 69.7% – a rise of 12,000 over the quarter and increase of 33,000 over the year. This compares to a rate of 73% nationally.
·         North East unemployment stands at 109,000 or 8.7% – a fall of 9,000 over the quarter and 20,000 over the year. This compares to a rate of 6% nationally.
·         The claimant count stands at 52,000 or 4.3% in the North East, compared to 2.6% nationally.
 

NECC Policy and Research Manager, Mark Stephenson, said: “Today’s figures are a great start to the year with every indicator heading in the right direction and over 30,000 more people in work than this time last year.

“Employment is at a record high for the second successive month thanks mostly to businesses while unemployment is at its lowest in over five years – down 20,000 on a year ago. The claimant count continues its long term decrease and is down over 20,000 on the year, back to its pre-financial crisis level of 2008.

“While the North East unemployment rate remains too high, moving below 9% represents a symbolic victory. In spite of the economic progress we have seen in the past two years, North East unemployment has remained largely static, so to see it falling is very encouraging. The unemployment rate dropped as fast as anywhere in the country while the increase in employment was bettered only by one other region.

“The North East business community has made the majority of this progress possible in the context of continuing retrenchment in the public sector, which just goes to underline the necessity for pro-business public policy placing a premium on development, investment, employment and growth. Ahead of a forthcoming budget and general election it is vital that political parties understand and safeguard the role that businesses play for the well-being of our country.”

Speech on budget responsibility, manufacturing, unemployment figures and labour tax plans

On Tuesday I gave a short speech in the House of Commons on balancing the books, and support for manufacturing and the growth of apprentices. Time was limited but I hope I made a few good points.

Guy Opperman (Hexham) (Con):

I support the charter for budget responsibility. I think it is a good thing and a vital part of the long-term economic plan. For four and a half years we have been faced with a Labour Opposition who have opposed every single budget reduction, and I have no faith in Labour choosing fiscal discipline in future years. As various Members have eloquently explained, the Labour party is effectively France in all but name. It wishes to have a socialist Government with higher taxes, and all the financial and economic consequences that that would bring.

This coalition Government have turned around manufacturing—we have seen tremendous increases in manufacturing, particularly in the north-east. We have infrastructure support, city deals, regional devolution on a scale not seen before, support for apprenticeships, fuel duty frozen, increases to the fairer funding formula on education, and reductions in unemployment in every constituency across the north-east, including by 50% in my constituency. We should be proud of that genuinely good record.

The consequences need to be addressed, too. The shadow Chancellor, as usual, did not answer my question. I put it to him that the north-east has the fastest rate of growth of private sector business in the autumn quarter and the highest growth in the value of exports, and it is the No. 1 exporter, with a positive balance of payments.

Gordon Birtwistle (Burnley) (LD):

My hon. Friend mentions manufacturing. Has he heard anything from the Opposition about how they intend to expand manufacturing? He will remember that they managed to reduce it from 22% of GDP to 11%. Has he heard anything about how they plan to reverse that trend, if they come to power?

Guy Opperman:

Absolutely nothing whatever. My hon. Friend and I are leading lights in the all-party apprenticeships group, which has seen fantastic work. I should probably make a declaration that I am the first MP to hire, train and then retain an apprentice as an office manager—not as an MP, I hasten to add—because she was doing a fantastic job.

On what the Opposition intend to do, we have to address the deficit. The Chancellor eloquently put it that the Leader of the Opposition is practising Basil Fawlty politics by not mentioning the deficit at every opportunity. We also have to look at fiscal consolidation. We all heard what the shadow Chancellor said today, but what did the Leader of the Opposition say only on Sunday on “The Andrew Marr Show”? He said that

“if we…cut our way to getting rid of this deficit, it won’t work”.

So there goes fiscal tightening in any way whatever.
To the clarification put to Miliband by Marr that:

“that requires a £30 billion fiscal tightening”,

he replied, “I don’t accept that.”

Whatever the Opposition say today, the reality will always be that the Labour party will introduce greater taxes and greater borrowing, and greater difficulties for our children.

On attempts to address the deficit, other Members have made the point, including my right hon. and learned Friend the Member for Rushcliffe (Mr Clarke), that raising the tax rate to 50% will not
increase the tax take by any margin and will actually disincrease investment. On the minimum wage, tax credits from the coalition have already addressed that in a very successful form and we intend to raise it. I heard on the BBC “Daily Politics” today the hon. Member for Nottingham East (Chris Leslie) proposing that his plan for addressing the deficit was an increase in gun licences. That may be laudable, I do not know, and I am sure he has fiscally costed this matter in great detail, but if that is his plan to address the entirety of the deficit, we really are in more trouble than we thought.

We were indeed fortunate to hear from the hon. Member for Rochester and Strood (Mark Reckless). It is always a pleasure to comment on his speech. I will not cast aspersions on his honour, but I will attack his memory and grasp of economics. He supported the coalition as we did the tough work from 2010.

Steve Baker:

Will my hon. Friend give way?

Guy Opperman:

I will not. I am so sorry, but I have zero time. Mr Reckless supported us then, but he does not support us now.

Good to make the case for the North East economy today - short speech in the Commons on NE business success story

The North East last year was the region with :
-         the most technology start-ups [300] outside of London,
-         and fastest rate of growth in private sector business nationally over the Autumn quarter:

Fact checker:

Technology start ups:
http://www.britishchambers.org.uk/policy-maker/blog/north-east-businesses-are-busting-the-%E2%80%98only-manufacturing%E2%80%99-myth.html

Private Sector Growth by PMI Output

The graph below shows the regional PMI Output Indexes for the UK. An average of the latest three months is used. All 12 UK regions registered an increase in private sector business activity on average over the third quarter of 2014. The fastest rate of growth was seen in the North East, while Scotland registered the slowest expansion: PMI = Purchasing Managers Index [Lloyds Bank]

 

And ….Worth making the point that we are also the region with the highest rise in the value of its exports

See: Highest rise in value of exports: http://www.thejournal.co.uk/business/business-news/north-east-exports-helping-economic-7721357

https://bdaily.co.uk/industrials/04-09-2014/north-east-exports-31-billion-worth-of-goods-in-q2/

My PMQ today

Is the PM aware that the region with :
-         the most technology start-ups [300] outside of London,
-         and fastest rate of growth in private sector business nationally over the last quarter
...is ….. the North East of England..... and does he agree with me that only by sticking with our long term economic plan can we secure the future for all regions of the United Kingdom?

Fact checker:

Technology start ups:

http://www.britishchambers.org.uk/policy-maker/blog/north-east-businesses-are-busting-the-%E2%80%98only-manufacturing%E2%80%99-myth.html

Private Sector Growth by PMI Output

The graph below shows the regional PMI Output Indexes for the UK. An average of the latest three months is used. All 12 UK regions registered an increase in private sector business activity on average over the third quarter of 2014. The fastest rate of growth was seen in the North East, while Scotland registered the slowest expansion: PMI = Purchasing Managers Index [Lloyds Bank]

 

And ….Worth making the point that we are also the region with the highest rise in the value of its exports

See: Highest rise in value of exports:
http://www.thejournal.co.uk/business/business-news/north-east-exports-helping-economic-7721357

https://bdaily.co.uk/industrials/04-09-2014/north-east-exports-31-billion-worth-of-goods-in-q2/

Forestry event tomorrow at Egger

Roots to Prosperity is an action plan for change and growth in the forestry and timber sectors, here in the north of England. It is well supported by all the local county councils and lays out an action plan for how the sector can expand and hopefully create more jobs. I am speaking tomorrow at the event in Hexham and keen to listen and learn from the many experts there as to how we can harness the local areas desire to grow the sector.

The return of real Apprenticeships - up in every part of the NE

I am pleased there has been a substantial rise in the numbers of apprenticeships being offered to young people in the North East.

I am passionate about apprenticeships and vocational education. They are important to help our young people find the jobs they deserve and for improving the skills of our Nation’s workforce. As such, I like many other small businesses, employ an apprentice, Jade, who has been with us in our Hexham office since 2011 and is an important and valued member of our team.

In Hexham we have seen a huge rise in the numbers of apprenticeships which is great news for young people starting out in the working world and businesses alike. Specifically there has been a 62.8% rise in the number of apprenticeship starts in Hexham from 2009/10 to 2012/13 [the last full year for stats].
This is not a pattern exclusive to Hexham, however:
- throughout the North East this pattern of success is repeated with increases in apprenticeship starts ranging all the way up to 143.1%. Overall the North East is the country's second biggest percentage increase in apprenticeship starts; at the national level we have already delivered 1.8 million new apprenticeships since 2010.
The full chart is here:
Parliamentary Constituency and % increase on apprenticeship starts from 2009/10 (Labour) to 2012/13 (Last full year under Coalition)

Berwick upon Tweed 98.0
Bishop Auckland 143.1
Blaydon 89.8
Blyth Valley 107.6
City of Durham 120.0
Darlington 132.3
Easington 111.1
Gateshead 73.5
Hartlepool 85.1
Hexham 62.8
Houghton and Sunderland South 63.4
Jarrow 73.0
Middlesbrough 95.6
Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland 90.6
Newcastle upon Tyne Central 80.8
Newcastle upon Tyne East 82.4
Newcastle upon Tyne North 67.7
North Durham 104.6
North Tyneside 83.1
North West Durham 121.0
Redcar 121.2
Sedgefield 115.8
South Shields 86.4
Stockton North 109.0
Stockton South 120.0
Sunderland Central 60.0
Tynemouth 86.4
Wansbeck 111.1
Washington and Sunderland West 71.6

I congratulate all who were involved in this increase and encourage those employers who have yet to hire one of our fabulous young people to do so. You won’t regret it!

Growth is increasingly spreading out from the capital to the north

See the article below. Last month, the north east of England saw the strongest expansion in the UK, according to Lloyds’ Bank figures. The region had a PMI score of 63.5, the highest the survey has ever recorded. Full story here:
http://www.cityam.com/article/1402287370/north-east-takes-top-spot-may-growth-survey

"overall the rise in employment shows the region is growing its economy"

The Journal's words not mine. Before you doubt the recovery read Adrian Pearson's excellent article in todays paper on the North East economy
http://www.thejournal.co.uk/business/how-north-east-hit-back-7250509

Fastest rise in jobs on record. Long Term Economic Plan is working.

Number of people out of work in UK fell by 161,000 to 2.16 million in three months to April, figures show.

Employment grew by 345,000 over the quarter - that's the strongest growth in quarterly employment on record. Most of the growth was in full time jobs. More detail from BBC here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-27791749
Don't throw it away by giving the keys back 2 Labour

Apprenticeships are the key to changing the jobs market and here is why

Since 2010 the number of Apprentices has doubled and become a new norm for school leavers. However, I know that locally when I talk to small businesses who haven’t yet taken the plunge and hired an apprentice their main worry is whether they’ll be buried in paperwork. The good news is that under this Government employing an apprentice is now simpler than ever. Not only that but we have also put employers in the driving seat of designing new apprenticeships so that in future they will work even better for both employers and apprentices. If you want to read more detail about the effectiveness of these reforms, the Minister’s latest speech on apprenticeships, may be helpful: https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/apprenticeships-training-young-people-for-jobs-of-the-future.

A few highlights though are that so far:

·         1.7 million apprenticeships have been delivered, and we are on track for 2 million over the course of this Parliament.
·         There has been an increase of 103,300 in the number of employers taking on apprentices since 2009/10 (representing an increase of 45.2%).
·         And, the number of high quality, full apprenticeships has doubled among young people aged between 16 and 18, from 53,600 in 2009/10 to 110,900 in 2012/13.

The next step in this process is reforming the funding of apprenticeships so that employers can take the lead on both standards and training. This will mean that colleges, training providers and universities will need to provide the training employers need to fulfil the standards they have set. It will also dramatically simplify the funding rules and processes.

But you don’t have to take my word for it. Here is what thirty-five leading trade organisations and businesses – large and small – wrote in a letter to the telegraph:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/letters/10807977/Employers-need-to-control-the-funds-to-make-apprenticeships-useful.html

 

The Guardian are way wrong about the North East - and here is why

A muppet journalist from the Guardian has stated that the North East is teetering on the brink of becoming the new Detroit - ie a place devoid of character, growth, prosperity, identity, entrepreneurial spirit, new industry, and so much more. As usual with most Guardian claptrap he is way wrong. He did not choose to speak to me, but then again I am not surprised. He set out with an agenda, but as always on this blog we try to be fair so here is his piece. Make of it what you will:
http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2014/may/10/north-east-avoid-becoming-britains-detroit

I would make a number of comments to rebut this rubbish:
On jobs, growth it is my strong belief that our better days lie ahead:
- the North East is a manufacturing hub and the only region that is a net exporter in this country
- we are developing specific specialisms in sectors that are genuinely transforming the economy - whether it is subsea technology, or our burgeoning IT sector that sees Accenture and Hewlett Packard based in the North East, and running the IT for everything from the Rural Payments Agency to parts of the Universal Credit Roll out.
- no one who was at the Dynamo conference 10 days ago in Newcastle could have mistaken the entrepreneurial spirit that was there; our IT sector is genuinely transforming the region, albeit we do need a IT Technical College. I chaired a seminar on regional growth that was buzzing with ideas and expectation.
- our job figures are improving across the board, with every parliamentary seat seeing less JSA claimants than before, more people in work, and real apprenticeships doubling.
- In my area of Northumberland I opened the Egger Engineering Academy last autumn and have seen its effect in creating specialist engineering jobs.
- on Wednesday I will be welcoming the Energi Coast companies and the Subsea sector to Westminster: they are optimistic and hiring. I doubt the Guardian will come to such a good news event or do a story, but one lives in hope. 
   
On jobs, growth and our regions future then I urge you to read the Adonis Report or delve into the North East Chamber of Commerce's 50 Reasons why the North East is the place to do business: its report is here: http://www.necc.co.uk/50greatreasonstoinvest/1390-50-great-reasons-to-do-business-in-the-north-east-infographic

I could go on about the everything from our stunning landscape, to the community spirit that exists like nowhere else in the country. Things are not perfect and there is a long way to go but I am very optimistic about the North East's future.
I will await the chance of a rebuttal piece from the Guardian but will lay good odds that they will not be offering.