The Labour Party proposed a new scheme for reducing the number of low skilled immigrant workers, which consists of issuing work permits for apprentices. This scheme generated debates and faces practical difficulties, considering that work permits are currently issued for higher skilled positions.

The apprenticeship programmes have been continuously modified since 1990. They can be accessed by anyone aged 16 and over who is not engaged in full-time education. The apprenticeship schemes combine recognised training with a paid job and cover various fields. Thus the number of young people registered in an apprenticeship programme raised from 50,000 in 1990 to 250,000 at present. In 2009 the British Government extended the eligibility of apprenticeship programmes to all ages, which led to some additional 18,000 persons aged over 25 registered in this form of education.

To reduce the number of low skilled immigrant workers the labour party proposes that companies should be bound to create an apprenticeship place for each non-EU worker they recruit. Companies will thus be discouraged from "importing" immigrant workers.

The labour scheme simplified the context when they anticipated the impacts of such a measure on the labour market. Thus companies can recruit staff for qualified positions by the intra-company transfer system (Tier 2). Despite this, only 9,500 work permits were issued in 2012 out of the total 20,700 allocated by the government. Then there are privileged fields, such as ICT, with a demand for qualified staff and a massive input of Indian specialists. It is not clear whether the labour party took this scheme into account when they proposed the new apprenticeship scheme. In addition many of the companies who work with immigrant workers already have apprenticeship programmes in place. Increasing the number of apprenticeship places might exceed their operating capacity.

The Labour Party's scheme also has positive aspects however. The attempt to reduce abuses in the system, such as enforcing the minimum wage, and to control recruitment agencies that only operate in other EU countries, are useful steps but it is not clear that they will have much impact on the scale of low skilled immigration. Contrary to expectations, arguments indicate that the Labour Party's proposal will not have an impact upon low skilled immigrants.

Source: http://news.migrationwatch.org.uk/2013/09/labours-link-between-immigration-and-apprenticeships.html