Education Secretary pays a visit to Scunthorpe Steelworks
Bridget Phillipson met some of the new apprentices starting at the site
Last updated 23rd Aug 2025
The Government’s Education Secretary, Bridget Phillipson, has visited the Scunthorpe Steelworks to meet some of the new apprentices starting at the site. Last month British Steel announced it would be recruiting an extra 21 apprentices this year, taking the overall number of new trainees joining in September to 59.
The Government took control of British Steel in April to prevent owners, the Chinese Jingye Group, from shutting down the site. Parliament was recalled during the Easter recess to pass The Steel Industry (Special Measures) Bill.
Upon visiting the site Ms Phillipson, who was first elected to Parliament in 2010, received a tour of the facility where the new apprentices are set to learn their trade. She told the LDRS:
“For the first time in two years we’ve got new apprentices who are starting which is fantastic news for the region, for the economy, but also for those apprentices getting the chance to learn a trade.
“Under a Labour government we’ve seen an increase in the number of apprenticeship starts and achievements which will be a critical part of how build more here as a country and how we can really get the economy going as well.” She went on to say: “We haven’t taken skills seriously enough as a country for a long time but we’re turning that around.”
Niles Procter-Green, who is nearing the end of a British Steel apprenticeship told the LDRS that the steelworks “has been a great place to work from day one.” Adding: “The college training staff have been amazing, giving me the fundamental I needed to come on site.
“When I did eventually come on site there’s been so much help from everyone in the teams around me, working with me to make sure I understand something instead of just working on it with no real logic behind it. It’s been a great foundation for me to come out as a full fledged maintenance engineer.”
Speaking about taking on new apprentices, HR Director at British Steel, Nick Ashton has previously said:
“The calibre of applications we received for our apprenticeship positions was outstanding, and this, coupled with the ever increasing need to build an internal talent pool within our craft / technical and functional teams, is why we have decided to offer more roles.
"Our new intake will be our next generation of engineers, technical, and functional experts – supporting our journey to becoming a sustainable and profitable business at the heart of the UK economy.”