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The government has announced plans to fund an additional 35,000 apprentices in a bid to strengthen Britain’s competitive edge during the economic downturn.

The government will work alongside UK companies to invest a total of £140m in funding apprentices in the private and public sectors within the next 12 months. This is in addition to the £1bn commitment the government has already made to delivering training.

As one of the participating companies, Rolls-Royce will extend its apprenticeship programme to take on 50 extra apprentices with the help of government support. After training, the apprentices will be available to work in other local companies, many of which are part of the Rolls-Royce supply chain.

Rolls-Royce chief executive, Sir John Rose, said: ‘We are proud of our apprentice scheme, which we believe makes a strong contribution to the competitiveness of our workforce and to that of the wider economy. The priority we attach to learning and skills is a good indicator of the benefits that high value added manufacturing delivers to the UK economy.’