VINCE Cable has told business leaders in York that one of his key priorities is making sure he supplies them with a sustainable future workforce.

Around 70 representatives from firms and organisations across York attended a lunch at Novotel with the York-born Business Secretary where they were invited to question him on issues affecting business in the area.

Mr Cable said he was enjoying his first conference “in his home town”, referencing the city’s industrial heritage and his parents’ jobs at Terry’s and Rowntree’s.

Laying out his objectives for the future Mr Cable told delegates at the lunch, supported by the Yorkshire Institute of Directors and the National Asian Business Association: “It’s very clear that after the worst economic crisis we have ever had, certainly in our lifetimes, the last three or four quarters have shown we are in recovery mode. The thing I am fixated on is trying to make sure that this recovery is properly embedded in the long term.

“We are hitting serious problems with a lack of skilled people. There is a chronic shortage of engineers and computer scientists.

“We have to make sure we invest properly in apprenticeships. We have put a lot of money into this area and it is paying off.

“The universities are in good shape too, certainly in places like York where the University of York has a brilliant reputation in areas like agri-science, and York St John with its links to local entrepreneurship.”

Mr Cable was challenged on the education system, and the ability of teachers to teach entrepreneurship with experience, as well as funding cuts facing colleges.

He said: “The fact is the overall standards of British schools is good. There is a significant fraction of people though who go to school and are failed by the system. They leave without English and maths and are virtually unemployable. That is why are developing an apprenticeship system.

“I spend a lot of time worrying about funding cuts to colleges. When my dad finished at Rowntrees he went to York College and was head of the building trade department. A lot of the houses around here were probably built by people he trained.

"We are facing massive cuts across government, especially my department. Colleges have taken a hit but I have fought very hard to make sure we don’t make further education colleges the poor relation.”

Mr Cable also spoke about business rates, saying he thought the current business rate system was “not fit for purpose” and invited business leaders to help shape an alternative system, while also speaking about access to finance for small businesses, condemning RBS for contracting its lendings, while praising banks such as Handelsbanken, Lloyds and Santander for their attitude to relationship banking.

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