Boris to help take on 3,000 apprentices

Boris Johnson today announced plans to create 3,000 apprenticeships over the next three years.

A raft of training opportunities, including work placements, will be on offer to coincide with the start of National Apprenticeship Week.

They will cover fields ranging from customer services to electrical engineering. The aim is to create a better skilled workforce and boost the capital's economy.

Employers will include Transport for London and its contractors, which will be recruiting about 650 adult and 115 young apprentices over the next year.

The Metropolitan Police Service and Met Police Authority are, meanwhile, advancing plans to provide more than 150 apprenticeships. The Greater London Authority group is also establishing an apprenticeship scheme in business administration, which will provide about 15 training places this year.

Mr Johnson, head of the London Skills and Employment Board, said: "I urge employers from across London's sectors to follow our lead."