London offers new apprenticeships

Apprenticeships will be available in areas including business administration, events organisation, customer service, construction and health and social care.

Some of the apprenticeships will be offered with local authorities' contractors, as part of big projects such as the Olympics and the construction of Crossrail.

Liberal Democrat councillor James Kempton, who is also executive member for children and young people at lobby group London Councils, said that apprenticeships could help young people weather the economic downturn.

He said: "It is crucial to increase the number of apprenticeships to reduce the number of young people who are not in education, employment or training to help give them the best possible start in life."

The London apprenticeships, which will last between one and three years, will be aimed at adults as well as young people. Apprenticeships minister Lord Young said: "It is great news that councils across London have made a commitment to take on more apprentices, giving more young people and adults across the capital an opportunity to get high-quality training leading to a sustainable career."

The government has committed more than £1bn to increasing the number of apprenticeships on offer in 2009. In December, it announced the creation of 10,000 new apprenticeship places, 7,000 of which will be in the construction sector.

Skills Secretary John Denham and Children's Secretary Ed Balls have also called on the public sector to offer more apprenticeship placements.