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Prince Andrew has thrown his weight behind the Evening Standard’s “ground-breaking” Ladder for London apprenticeship campaign and agreed to become its patron.
The Duke of York spoke to more than 200 young apprentices in East London during a two-hour visit to our campaign partner City Gateway.
He criticised politicians for sitting on their hands and praised the “inspirational leadership” that City Gateway and the Standard have shown in tackling youth unemployment.
“You are delivering on something that our politicians haven’t been able to do,” he said. “Some people try to make it rocket science but it isn’t. They talk but they don’t do.
“You are giving young people a tradable skill and it means that they can earn a living and lead a fulfilling life.
“I am delighted to be patron. If I can help through raising awareness, raising the profile, if I can show the same leadership you have, then as a team we can really deliver.”
Prince Andrew’s endorsement came on a day in which our campaign smashed through our initial goal of creating 500 apprenticeships before Christmas. Since we launched 10 weeks ago, almost 200 organisations have signed up to hire 543 apprentices recruited by City Gateway.
Also meeting the apprentices was Evening Standard editor Sarah Sands and owner Evgeny Lebedev.
Mr Lebedev praised City Gateway founder Eddie Stride for his “fantastic energy” and said: “In my city, Moscow, there are no inspirational people like Eddie, no organisations like City Gateway. We are proud to partner you and very honoured that the Duke of York, who is so passionate about apprenticeships, has agreed to become our patron.”
Mr Stride said: “We are already on course to get 1,000 young people into jobs in 2013.
“But with the Duke of York having come on board, I believe that Ladder for London can now reach for the sky and transform the landscape of youth unemployment in the capital.”
