Camden News - Roger Robinson | Abd-Allah Ayaz | St Pancras and Somers Town Ward

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Camden News - by SIMON WROE
Published: 26 June 2008

Rivals unite to welcome return of the apprentice

COUNCILLORS across the political divide have rallied behind plans for the first borough-wide apprenticeship scheme to combat crime and unemployment.
The project is the brainchild of Labour councillor Roger Robinson, whose St Pancras and Somers Town ward has an unemployment rate double the national average.
Although still in its infancy, the scheme has already attracted the support of his Town Hall rival, the Lib Dems’ deputy leader Councillor Janet Grauberg.
Cllr Robinson said this week he welcomed help from all sides, whatever their allegiance.
He added: “My dream is that everyone should be employed. There is lack of employment and a lack of opportunity for young people in Camden and it’s a great shame. It’s not a political issue. I’ll work with anybody to get this thing done.”
He believes that young men and women who are acquiring skills through an apprenticeship are more likely to stay out of trouble.
Cllr Grauberg, who runs the children’s service portfolio at the Town Hall, hailed the scheme as “the sort of response Camden should be making” to recent trouble on the streets. She said: “Saying we need another youth club is an easy response but if we’re really serious about helping every young person to succeed we need to really use all the services at our disposal in Camden. The whole community has to work together – and that means political parties too.”
Town Hall bosses will meet behind closed doors next week to discuss the practicalities of turning a borough-wide apprentice scheme into a reality. The next step would then be to float the idea to businesspeople and shopkeepers to see if they can help.
In an effort to modernise the scheme Cllr Robinson hopes to extend the range of apprenticeships available, introducing modern, office-based skills such as IT, administration and management alongside traditional manual occupations. Special courses for disabled and deaf people would be available under his proposals.

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