Last week I hosted the second Blyth Valley Apprenticeships Fair with almost 40 employers offering training and jobs opportunities and I am pleased to say it was a huge success. Around 500 people came along to explore the excellent opportunities available to them in the Blyth Valley area and the feedback from the employers was very positive. I heard many comments that the quality of candidates was very high and the employers had found the event really worthwhile. University is not the right route for everybody and many people would rather earn whilst they learn rather than rack up student loan debts. I didn’t go to university, and I’ve had a fulfilling and enjoyable career.
We had a really wide variety of employers at the fair, public and private sector, large and small, industrial and services. Hi technology organisations like JDR Cables, who are investing over £100m in a new factory on the Blyth Estuary, are looking for technical apprentices. Large public sector organisations like the Northumbria NHS Trust, Northumberland County Council and the RAF offer an extraordinary variety of post. Smaller businesses offer the chance to do a bit of everything and really get stuck in.
On a less happy note you may have seen news reports that a man was found guilty of a ‘harassment without violence’ charge against me last week in Newcastle Magistrates Court. I'm used to the cut and thrust of politics and people not agreeing with me but occasionally a line is crossed. After receiving my complaint, the Police and The Crown Prosecution Service agreed that behaviours in this case were not acceptable, and a prosecution was brought. Despite pleading not guilty a verdict of guilty was found and a restraining order is now in place. The wellbeing of my family and staff is my primary concern and I will do what I can to protect them in these circumstances.
There has been much comment in the media about the appointment of Lee Anderson as Conservative Party Deputy Chair. He is a very different politician to his boss Greg Hands and together with the other deputies Nickie Aiken, Luke Hall and Matt Vickers they will represent all voices in the party. We are a broad church. I know Lee well and I admire his plain speaking. He represents the views of many hard-working families in his constituency and in the wider country. Sometimes, we need people who will speak from the heart.
