For too long, too many people across the Five Towns have had to deal with insecure jobs, zero hours contracts or low pay while the training and apprenticeships that local industry used to rely on were all cut back. Young people have often been hit hardest, left without the training and good jobs opportunities they deserve.

Now as part of the Government’s Plan for Change that is being turned round. Increasing apprenticeships, especially for things like construction, is vital. Nationally the Government has announced £600m new investment to train up 60,000 construction workers. That helps our economy but also means better and more secure jobs for young people too.

At Castleford College a few weeks ago, I met local apprentices to see the training they are getting and to hear how much they want to be able to get good jobs for the long term. And I saw the work that is underway to build our new state-of-the-art construction apprenticeship centre that is due to open in September. That new centre is great news for our area as it means increasing top quality construction apprenticeships here in the Five Towns, giving more young people the chance of good jobs and security in future.

This isn’t just about future workers. The increase in the Living Wage is important too because everyone should be paid a fair wage that they can raise a family on. The increase this April means a pay boost for over £100 a month for many local workers in distribution centres, care homes and other important jobs across our towns as well as a record cash increase for younger workers and apprentices who were left behind for too long.

Working people should be respected at work too. Labour’s Employment Right’s Bill will end exploitative zero-hours contracts so that people can plan their lives with certainty, and we will ban fire-and-rehire tactics. It will give all workers basic rights from day one, including sick pay, parental leave and protection against unfair dismissal. This is about making work pay, and starting to build an economy that properly delivers for working people – with secure jobs, better pay and stronger rights at work.

Looking forward, it means building a proper industrial policy too so our economy can grow.

This country is built on the back of hard-working people – that’s why we need respect and security, and good local jobs and opportunities for the future.

Looking forward, it means building a proper industrial policy too so our economy can grow and so we can weather global economic instability. This country is built on the back of hard-working people – that’s why we need respect and security, and good local jobs and opportunities for the future.