LAST week CBI members met to discuss how to "Get the UK Working", a critical plank in the narrative to rebalancing the economy and a project chaired nationally by CBI North East chairman and Greggs chief executive Ken McMeikan.

Members are concerned about how we tackle youth unemployment to ensure that as the economy picks up we do not leave behind a lost generation who grow up with no employment prospects.

Many ideas were discussed but the key issue that North East businesses wanted to focus on was how we get more businesses starting apprenticeship programmes and ensuring that young people understood the opportunities offered by this route into the job market.

A key issue in ensuring that businesses take on apprenticeships is ensuring that the system is simple. For these reasons CBI welcomed the Government’s recent measures on how to simplify the apprenticeship system for large employers.

Apprenticeships are vital to developing the skills that support economic growth and many employers already deliver excellent programmes.

For example, Benfield Motors in conjunction with the North East Chamber of Commerce has just designed a new apprenticeship programme to support its next generation sales team and is looking at the opportunities to develop more business administration apprentices. Cutting bureaucracy will support even more businesses to become involved and these recommendations set out the right path for reform.

Employers are primarily concerned with the day-to-day running of their businesses. They are committed to offering high-quality training as their reputation and business success depends on this.

We need to maximise spending on productive training and not divert resources to deal with administration. The money saved by reducing bureaucracy should support more apprenticeship places.

These reforms should now be applied to smaller and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and the providers they work with. SMEs represent a significant market for apprenticeships and we must make it easier for these firms to access apprenticeship programmes.

This is particularly critical in the North East. The Journal’s apprenticeship campaign demonstrated the support from the region’s employers to grow young talent – every £1 saved on administration secures the potential for further investment in North East businesses and employment.

:: Sarah Green is regional director of CBI North East