LONDON, May 30 /PRNewswire/ -- John Park MSP will meet with fellow Unite members at the INEOS Grangemouth refinery today (Friday 30th May) as part of the consultation process of Labour's Apprenticeship (Scotland) Bill.

The Bill which has been put forward by the member for Mid-Scotland & Fife would create some 30,000 Modern Apprenticeship placements in Scotland if passed by the Scottish Parliament. The Bill aims to establish a number of key provisions including a right to undertake an apprenticeship for anyone between the age of 16 and 18 years old.

Mr Park said, "I believe that we need to see a radical shift in apprenticeship policy in Scotland to ensure our people are best equipped for the economic challenges of the 21st century and the provisions of the Bill would help achieve this.

Visiting workplaces such as INEOS is absolutely crucial to the development of this Bill. Here we have a massive skilled and unionised workforce - in a key industrial sector - where a strong apprenticeship policy has played a vital role in the sustained success of this Petro-Chemical site. The input of Unite members at INEOS will prove invaluable."

Unite Scottish Secretary John Quigley added, "Unite and our members have been at the forefront of modern apprenticeship best practice for many years and I have no doubt the response from workers at INEOS will boost the consultation process further.

The Bill put forward by John Park - himself a former apprentice - is vitally important as it has the potential to give tens of thousands of young people in Scotland the opportunity to train and gain a crucial advantage in the hyper-competitive global economy."

Apprenticeship numbers in Scotland have increased sharply over the last decade. However, quality vocational training opportunities are increasingly hard to come by and competition for apprenticeships is fierce with hundreds of applicants for every place.

For further information please contact the Unite Scottish Campaigns, Policy & Research Unit on +44-141-248-7131 or +44-7810-157-931