Labour leader Ed Miliband has outlined plans that would guarantee apprenticeships for every school leaver in England who "gets the grades" by 2020.

Labour has this week been detailing the business policies it would implement if it wins the General Election in May, with training a core focus.

In a speech at the Jaguar Land Rover factory in Wolverhampton, Miliband identified better training and higher wages as central pillars to boosting productivity, and said he wants to create an extra 80,000 apprenticeships. Youngsters with ‘Level 3 qualifications’ – the equivalent of having two A-Levels – would qualify for the scheme, but those with only GCSEs would not.

Apprenticeships have been a hot topic in the physical activity sector of late, following the attainment of Trailblazer status, allowing employers to define apprenticeship standards for PTs and leisure managers. The extra responsibility is designed to enable the industry to streamline training pathways and proactively address skills shortages.

The Trailblazer initiative – which has been rolled out across several industries – was brought in by the coalition government, and the Conservative Party has also said it wants to create more apprenticeships if it stays in power.

Tory MP Grant Shapps has outlined party proposals to cap benefits further, with a view to funding a total of three million apprenticeships. But critics pointed out that under the current government, the number of 16 to 19-year-olds in apprenticeships had actually decreased under the current government.