Unite assistant general secretary Tony Burke said: "At the heart of any economic recovery is a programme of growth through investment not cuts. To provide sustainable manufacturing jobs and to help with economic recovery, we need workers with the right skills.
"In the UK this means a greater concentration on the STEM skills that will enable UK manufacturing to lead in innovation, research and development in traditional and modern industries, engineering, electronics, chemicals printing, automotives, aerospace and IT.
"The Tory policy to cut the science budget is exactly the wrong thing to do as industry is being asked to respond to the challenges of supporting a low-carbon economy. Undermining our science and skills base will kill off the manufacturing base in the UK in the future. It is not only at graduate level that skills need to be addressed. We need education and training programmes that deliver technically competent workers who can deliver the growth that is needed to secure economic recovery.
"The UK needs more apprenticeships for the young and not so young. We need our schools to promote apprenticeships in manufacturing, providing good jobs for our young people for the future. Education and skills has to be at the heart of the recovery. Let’s make sure that Labour puts this at the heart of its policy going forward."
