Dear Friends,

More developments on our local schools this week. The Trustees of Birmingham’s Park View Educational Trust (PVET) have announced their decision that Golden Hillock School joins the Ark network in September 2015.

Last week I had the pleasure of getting out on the road (down the A13) to meet young people and talk about their aspirations for the future.

Dear friends,

Today I met with Waheed Saleem, the Chair of Park View School with Cllr Ansar Ali Khan on Friday and I was pleased to hear the considerable progress that has been made in both Nansen and Park View Schools.

Byrne gets #shapeyourfuture on the road

Liam Byrne takes Labour’s #shapeyourfuture consultation down Billy Bragg’s ‘highway of dreams’ through estuary Essex to the sea.

This week Liam Byrne, Labour’s shadow Universities and Skills minister, will visit seven Further Education colleges in six constituencies across three days taking the A13 from West Ham to Southend.

Liam Byrne said:

Dear friends,

Before Christmas I wrote to the Science Minister, Greg Clark MP, about the Government's plans for higher education finance.

You can read my original letters here and here

Byrne welcomes HS2 Committee call for Plan B at Washwood Heath

Liam Byrne MP has welcomed a major breakthrough in the battle for jobs at the LDV-Alstom site earmarked for a marshalling yard.

Following a major campaign led by Liam Byrne MP. The HS2 Bill Committee has ordered the Government and HS2 Ltd to change their plans to maximise the number of jobs on the site.

Dear friends,

This morning UCAS released their admission service figures for 2014.

You can read the full report here: http://www.ucas.com/sites/default/files/ucas-end-of-cycle-report-2014.pdf

My statement in response is below:

Commenting, Shadow Minister for Universities, Science and Skills Liam Byrne MP said:

Dear friends,

In late November Ofsted sent inspectors into Saltley School and Nansen Primary School.
They have released the findings of their inspections today which can be found here and here.

My statement is below:

Responding to the publication of the government’s apprenticeship pay survey, Labour’s Shadow Minister for Universities, Science and Skills Liam Byrne MP said:

“These figures show the cold facts behind the government’s warm words on apprenticeships. Almost a quarter of young apprentices are paid less than the minimum wage. This Tory-led coalition lacks a proper plan to build real earn-while-you-learn routes that lead to to decent jobs."

Notes:

There has been some press coverage of my speech.