A director at specialist automotive recruiter REP Consultants has criticised the chancellor’s plans to expand apprentices.

In yesterday’s Budget, George Osborne announced funding for another 40,000 apprentices for young unemployed people.

REP director Robert Barris told Recruiter: “A lack of training budget for older workers is unhelpful for the retail sector. There was already plenty of funding available for 16-18-year-old apprentices, who for licensing and insurance reasons are difficult to employ in this sector.

“This budget appears to be one for confidence, although I see little to directly affect our sector, except for the fuel duty reduction.”