News Andy Burnham MP for Leigh

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30/03/2009 - Apprenticeship Summit hailed a success

Andy Burnham MP today hosted an Apprenticeship Summit at Leigh Sports Village. Supported by Ian McCartney MP and Neil Turner MP representatives gathered to share best practice and to examine how more public sector employers in the borough could reap the benefits of the Apprenticeship programme.

Andy Burnham MP said, “In this rapidly changing world, Britain will only succeed if we develop the skills of our people to the fullest possible extent. Apprenticeships have a key role to play."

“Across the Leigh area we have seen a dramatic increase in the numbers of our young people completing apprenticeships but we can do more and that is why the government is expanding apprenticeships even further in the coming years, which is great news for Leigh.”

The government have announced that in order to drive up the number of apprenticeship places, it will:

·Create up to 10 new Apprenticeship Training Associations across the country by the end of 2009, with the potential to deliver up to 15,000 places by 2014/15.

·Encourage employer-led Group Training Associations to offer apprenticeships in sectors which have proportionally low numbers of places

·Increase the number of Apprenticeships available within the public sector so that, proportionately, there are as many opportunities as in the private sector.

And to help businesses and individuals through the downturn, they are:

·Making £140m available to fund a further 35,000 apprenticeship places in 2009/10.

·21,000 of these will be in the public sector, which shows how the government and local authorities are leading by example.

·Supporting a construction clearing house to help keep apprentices who fear losing their jobs employed and in training.

In the current economic downturn Andy added, “Now more than ever it is important that we give people the real help they need to get and keep jobs. This is an important initiative and is a further signal of our determination to give people the chance to get the practical training they need to get on and to help ensure the country has the skilled workers it needs to benefit from the upturn.”

John Korzeniewski, North West Regional Director, Learning and Skills Council (LSC) said:

“Apprentices make a significant contribution to our region; indeed 85 per cent of apprentice employers in the North West say that they rely on their Apprenticeship programme to give them the skilled workers they need for the future."

“This event demonstrates the impact that apprentices can have and the real benefits that the Apprenticeship programme can bring to both employers and individuals. I would encourage more of Wigan’s public sector employers to seriously consider Apprenticeships as part of their recruitment policy and as a means of developing their existing workforce.”

25/03/2009 - April pools day - just a week away! - Children and over-sixties swim for free from 1st April

It's no joke - from next week millions of people aged 16 and under, and 60 and over, will be able to make a splash - without splashing out - in hundreds of local authority swimming pools across England.

It is all thanks to a £140 million Government initiative being run in partnership with local councils - including 41 in the North West - to create a healthier, more active, nation and help get two million people more active by the time London hosts the Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2012.

The Government is investing £5.4 million in the next year to bring free swimming to the North West - and more than £1.7 million has already been allocated to improve pools in the region. And there is the certainty of millions of pounds more to ensure free access for the two age groups, with councils being able to bid for further funding to modernise facilities over the next two years.

Andy Burnham, Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, said, "The excitement is building with just one week to go and I hope young people - and those older in years, but still young at heart - are digging out their trunks and costumes, ready for 1 April. Free swimming will not only allow millions of people to reap so many health benefits, but ensure that local pools will be given a new lease of life at the heart of their communities."

"In these difficult economic times, it is great news that senior citizens can swim for free - and a real benefit too for children and, of course, their mums and dads."

"I commend councils of all political complexions who are working with us to make this exciting scheme a reality, often joining us in making a significant financial contribution to ensure its success. It is our hope that this is just the start and that in time free swimming becomes the norm across the country."

* In total 289 councils across England (81 per cent of the total) will be offering free swimming to the over 60s - 41 of them in the North West.

* And across the country 206 local authorities (equivalent to 58 per cent) will also be providing it for children and young people who are 16 years of age or younger - 35 in the North West.

* The initiative is guaranteed to run for at least two years - the period covered by the Government's current spending review.

* A full list of councils participating - and funding allocations - is available at http://www.culture.gov.uk/what_we_do/sport/5810.aspx

Beverley Hughes, Regional Minister for the North West said, "We want people across the North West to take the plunge and get healthier and more active. Swimming is one of the most effective and enjoyable ways to stay healthy, and the opportunity to swim for free is one that I hope residents across the North West will not miss out on. I look forward to seeing North West local authorities taking up the Government's offer that make their local pools and leisure centres hives of activity with free swimming."

1. Further information on the free swimming initiative and other 2012 legacy schemes is available on the DCMS website at http://www.culture.gov.uk

2. The swimming scheme is jointly funded by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, Department of Health, Department for Work and Pensions, the Department for Children, Schools and Families and the Department for Communities and Local Government.

3. Further information on the Free Swimming Capital Modernisation Programme is available on the Sport England website at http://www.sportengland.org.

24/03/2009 - Andy Burnham: Why is women's sport treated as a sideshow?

The article below appeared in The Independent on Monday, 23rd March 2009.

I spent my first 35 years looking at sport from a very male perspective.

Yesterday got off to a bad start. I woke up and assumed England's women cricketers had lost. That's because I turned on the radio and, for 20 minutes at least, could hear no mention of events in Australia.

I got a pleasant surprise when the headlines finally came round. But the absence of celebratory voices on the airwaves reinforced a point I have been making since Beijing: that coverage of women's sport is woefully absent from our television screens, radios and newspapers.

I feel more strongly than ever that this needs to change – urgently. With 2012 approaching, we have a moment in time when we can change sport for good. Getting more girls and women playing sport would constitute a genuine legacy. But I am worried that we are in danger of missing the moment by conducting business as usual.

Of course, sports governing bodies and the Government have big responsibilities here. But so too does the media. If anyone doubts whether media coverage can drive participation in sport, just think about what Wimbledon fortnight does to the nation's tennis courts.

To be fair, Sky's coverage of the women's World Cup has been good. I have noticed too that netball is now a regular part of its schedule. But subscription sports channels are not available in every home. So we look to our public service broadcasters to redress the balance – and yet, with some exceptions, the fare on offer is very traditional.

I readily acknowledge that, like many others, I am guilty of being slow to acknowledge this issue. As the middle of three brothers, I spent my first 35 years looking at sport from a very male perspective and seeing women's sport as a sideshow. It is only as my two girls have got older that my re-education has gathered pace and I have been able to see just how wide the sporting gap is.

My two daughters just don't have positive images of women's sport put before them in the same way as my son sees male sporting role models. When women's sport is on the TV, I make a point of bringing it to their attention. But it is frustratingly rare. Luckily, our football club, Everton, has a highly successful women's team. Yet it's hard to find any mention of them in national newspapers beyond a mention in a small weekly round-up. Is it stating the obvious to say that side columns on page 85 are less noticeable to young girls than colour photos on the front or back?

I did hope Beijing would bring a turning-point. Stars like Rebecca Romero and Nicole Cooke captured the nation's attention. But sadly, as the excitement of Beijing has tailed off, so has the media's interest in our sportswomen. Rebecca Adlington's first outing at the British Swimming Championships this week wasn't given live coverage. Star cyclist Victoria Pendleton has been reported as saying she now feels like she is living in the shadow of her male counterparts.

One of the arguments that comes back from the media is that the interest in women's sport is simply not there. I don't buy this. It's a self-serving argument. There will be no interest if broadcasters do not work to build it. History shows that the British public have the appetite to become absorbed in any sport if it is promoted in the right way. It wasn't long since we were all fascinated by curling. Activity at the grassroots shows there is real interest out there.

Despite its lack of publicity, women's cricket is thriving. There's been a 50 per cent increase in participation in 2008. The same in women's football. Nearly one million girls play organised football every week.

Perhaps the answer to this problem is to bypass the traditional media altogether. I have asked my department to look at developing a School Leagues website where results and footage could be uploaded by schools and all young people – boys and girls – would have a showcase for their achievements. But this is no real substitute. In the multi-channel era, it doesn't seem to me to be too much to ask to see a start with regular coverage of the Women's Premier League football, at the very least.

I accept it is no good Government handing out lectures on this subject if we haven't got our own house in order. The new funding plans we are soon to sign off with every major sport governing body for the period 2009-13 ask for much greater ambition on girls' and women's participation. With governing bodies under greater pressure, this may change the nature of the conversation they have with broadcasters.

There are signs of hope. This summer, the England and Wales Cricket Board will break new ground by staging women's and men's matches together at World 2020. But progress is way too slow. Half of the population is not being adequately served. We need culture change in sport and broadcasting. And I will only be happy when the High School Musical posters in our house are coming down and the Charlotte Edwards one is going up.