Local MP backs Cardiff City fans over season tickets

CARDIFF West MP and Consumer Affairs Minister, Kevin Brennan, has backed Cardiff City fans who feel they have been mis-sold their season ticket after the club’s promise to spend the money on new players has not been kept.

"Bluebirds fans deserve a fair deal and it is possible that Cardiff City supporters might have been mis-sold their season tickets," said Mr Brennan.

"The Consumer Protection Regulations (CPRs) prohibit traders from using false or deceptive statements which are likely to cause the average consumer to make a different choice.

"The issue then would seem to be whether the average supporter would have purchased a season ticket early had they known that the money would not go towards bringing in new players during the January transfer window.

"I would urge any Cardiff City supporter that is concerned over the manner in which they were sold their season ticket to seek advice from the local Trading Standards office.

"Trading Standards will decide whether or not to investigate the matter and if they believe there has been a breach of consumer regulations what enforcement action should be taken."

Mr Brennan previously backed Cardiff City supporters in their request to be given a full allocation of tickets against West Bromich Albion and recently launched Sport Relief with Michael Chopra and Stephen McPhail (link).

In his capacity as the UK Government’s Apprenticeships Minister, Kevin Brennan, has also promoted Cardiff City’s apprenticeship scheme with the Bluebirds’ U21 International Adam Matthews (link).

Kevin added, "We all want to see the Bluebirds get promoted to the Premiership, but fans deserve openness and honesty from the Club when they are asked to part with their money."

If you would like to contact the Cardiff Trading Standards office you can phone them on (02920) 872059.

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Apprenticeship Week with the Music for Good Scheme

KEVIN Brennan, MP for Cardiff West, has continued to promote National Apprenticeship Week across the country by visiting a scheme in Brixton that is helping youngsters in the music industry.

The UK's Apprenticeships Minister joined young people on the Music for Good Scheme to see how they are benefiting from their training.

"This is a great scheme that is helping train youngsters in the music industry for jobs in areas such as management, A&R or production," said Mr Brennan.

"National Apprenticeship Week is about celebrating the commitment of employers to recruit apprentices and urging people to look at the benefits to their skills and career of becoming an apprentice.

"Major UK employers are expecting to hire thousands of apprentices in 2010 and the government is encouraging all businesses to take up the new Apprentice Grant for Employers (AGE) scheme offering a £2,500 grant for each 16 or 17-year-old apprentice taken on.

"In the last year we have seen a record increase in the number of people starting an apprenticeship," said Kevin.

"The benefits are clear and this week I am urging businesses and young people alike to take a close look at what they can gain from them.

"Skills will be key to the recovery of the UK economy and apprentices can be vital to businesses looking to innovate and grow.

"I am proud so many businesses are hiring apprentices already. Last year 143,000 people completed an apprenticeship, helping to give them the skills and experience they need to get on at work."

New research commissioned through the National Apprenticeships Service and the British Chambers of Commerce shows that more than three in five UK companies plan to recruit this year, while 62% of businesses who employ apprentices said they made a positive contribution during the recession.

The good news for young people considering Apprenticeships is that drive and enthusiasm is the trait most prized by employers (83%) while having skills that the business will need in the future is also sought after (71%).

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Train to Gain programme has helped businesses

BUSINESS leaders have hailed the Government's flagship Train to Gain programme, saying it has helped them provide vital training to their staff during the downturn.

Both large and small businesses have reaped the benefits of Government funded training support, which is backed up by figures released today by the Learning and Skills Council.

In a survey of employers who use the training initiative, 80 per cent said they were likely to recommend Train to Gain to other employers and use it again themselves. A significant number of employers (41 per cent) also said Train to Gain had helped them cope with the recession.

Skills Minister Kevin Brennan said, "These reports show that businesses value the change to offer staff high quality training, that they otherwise may not have been able to, through Train to Gain.

"Thousands of businesses and tens of thousands of employees have benefited from the improved skills delivered by our Train to Gain programme.

"This is crucial for the long term strength of the economy and the ability of individuals to fulfil their potential.

"The fact that so many learners and employers understand how vital skills and training can be shows how effective our support has been during difficult economic times.

"We remain committed to ensuring that as many people as possible get the skills they need to benefit from the opportunities of growth."

Bristol based MITIE Group PLC, the strategic outsourcing and asset management company, has more than 49,000 members of staff and has used Train to Gain to help with staff development.

Roger Goodman, Corporate Development Director, MITIE, said, "Train to Gain has enabled MITIE to support our people with training and qualifications in a way that would not otherwise have been possible.

"The programme reaches people that are most in need of help and gives them the broad skills they need for work, and a platform from which to go on and develop."

Small business Best Service Europe LTD, based in Hull, specialises in the design, installation and servicing of bespoke automation systems for the maritime industry.

Managing Director Frank Butterfield, said, "Train to Gain has revolutionised the way I view our company and how I want it to operate.

"It has allowed me to identify both our strengths and weaknesses and meet these challenges head on.

"Everyone is revitalised and keen to continue developing the business. We could even come out of the downturn better placed than when we went into it."

Since its launch in April 2006, Train to Gain learners have started over 1.54 million qualifications, and there have been over 960,000 qualifications awarded.

More than 175,000 employers have been engaged through Train to Gain brokerage services.

In 2010-11, the Government plans to invest nearly £1 billion through Train to Gain, building on the £38 billion that employers are already investing in training each year.

The support of businesses for Train to Gain is echoed through the LSC’s figures, taken from over 9,000 employer and 7,000 learner interviews.

Businesses have acclaimed the success of Train to Gain, with more than 75 per cent declaring it equipped their staff with valuable job related skills which improved performance.

Geoff Russell, Chief Executive of the LSC, said: "This report shows that businesses have used Train to Gain to equip their employees with vital skills that have had a direct impact on their productivity and this is a critical business benefit in tough economic times.

"Workplace training has never been more responsive or flexible to the needs of employers and it is gratifying that more employers recognise the benefits of training their staff so they have a skilled workforce, ready for the upturn.

"The direct benefit to their business productivity and their employees is clear."

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Looking at Cantonian's facilities for autism sufferers

CARDIFF West's Kevin Brennan MP and Rhodri Morgan AM were highly impressed by Cantonian High School's facilities for children in the community that suffer with autism.

Mr Brennan and Mr Morgan were recently given a special tour of the facilities where they met some of the staff and pupils who regularly use the service.

"This is a fantastic facility for Cardiff West that is allowing people who suffer from autism to still receive the education they need," said Mr Brennan.

"I think it is a great how the facilities are helping the staff to keep the pupils stimulated and improve communication.

"It is clearly a well used and much needed facility that is making a real difference to those who suffer from autism and their families.

"I think the staff at Cantonian High School should be congratulated on their hard work as it is thanks to them that the new facilities are proving to make a real difference to people's lives."

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Miss Dorothy's one year anniversary at local Ely school

CARDIFF West MP, Kevin Brennan, today returned to Millbank Primary School for the anniversary of the Miss Dorothy programme.

Mr Brennan launched the scheme a year ago and was delighted when Miss Dorothy asked him to return to take part in the one year anniversary of the project which is taking place at a local school in Ely.

The pupils at Millbank Primary School have been taking part in the Miss Dorothy programme to learn how to keep themselves safe at home, on the streets and on the internet.

The school was introduced to the programme last year when Mr Brennan wrote to head teachers in Cardiff West to ask if they would consider trying the scheme to help in educating pupils about safety issues.

"I was delighted to take part in Miss Dorothy's assembly at Millbank Primary School and help the pupils reflect on all the safety issues they have been learning about," said Kevin.

"Miss Dorothy is a great way of teaching children the importance of being safe in and outside the home in a language they understand.

"It is vital that when you educate children on important subjects that you communicate to children on their level and that is what www.missdorothy.com does.

"It is fantastic that children can learn about safety issues and have some fun at the same time."

Head Gail Allen added, "We had a letter from Kevin offering us the missdorothy.com programme. It just fits in so well with everything else we do and it's so easy to use that the teachers love it.

"Miss dorothy has given us the opportunity to talk about things in class that we might not have discussed before and the children really like the characters.

"I hope more schools decide to get involved because it's a really comprehensive scheme and it helps children think about ways of keeping themselves safe."

Youngsters got the chance to meet two of the programme's characters when life-size versions of Cursor the cat and Wizard the dog join Mr Brennan for Friday's celebration.

The missdorothy.com programme teaches important safety messages about everything from crossing the road to the dangers of drugs and weapons through the cartoon character Dorothy Com and her friends.

The programme is supported by the Kids Taskforce, a charity partnership between the Association of Chief Police Officers, the Chief Fire Officers' Association and the Professional Footballers' Association that aims to reach every child in the country with important safety messages by 2010.

The Kids Taskforce aims to set a national standard for the safety information delivered to children in schools.

The secondary school programme 'Watch Over Me' has already been funded by the government for every school in England and Wales.

For more information, visit the charity's website at www.thekidstaskforce.com.

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Bill to stop under 18s using tanning salons

CARDIFF West MP, Kevin Brennan, is backing a Private Members Bill in the House of Commons to ban sunbed use by under 18s in commercial tanning salons.

The Bill was launched by Cardiff North MP, Julie Morgan, and Mr Brennan was quick to back the campaign and stated that he hoped it would soon become law.

"The misuse of tanning machines can cause massive health problems for the individual and in extreme circumstances cause skin cancer and possible death," said Kevin.

"Research shows that the younger you are using a sunbed in a tanning salon the greater the risk of skin cancer later in life.

"Clearly this is serious issue and under 18s are at far greater risk than older people.

"It is currently far too easy for young people to use sunbeds and therefore it is vital that this Private Members Bill is passed as it could well help to save lives."

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