In his speech at the CBI conference Labour leader Ed Miliband warned of the dangers of leaving the European Union and promised a “revolution” in vocational education and apprenticeships. 

Miliband praised the CBI for its “unequivocal championing” of Britain’s role in the European Union. He went on to say that Britain had no “future turning inwards” and “turning away from the world”. 

Leaving the EU would be a “betrayal of our national interest” and a “clear and present danger” to businesses that export to Europe every single year. He said: “Leaving the single market and stepping away from a trading bloc that allows us to work with new economies like Brazil, India and China would be a disaster for our country.” 

The Labour party leader also said that not being in the EU would “risk” billions of pounds of lost profits and millions of jobs. 

Miliband asserted that the route to decent jobs and good wages was: to maintain a competitive tax regime; set up a national infrastructure commission; and tackle a banking system that “doesn’t serve the real economy” and increase lending to businesses. 

Discussing, the importance of education and apprenticeships, Miliband said: “So many of our young people don’t have hope for the future because they feel there is no career path ahead for them.” He added: “If we win the election, our focus will be on a revolution in vocational education and apprenticeships.” 

He said a Labour government would implement technical qualifications in schools; work with businesses to design technical university degrees; and ensure businesses were involved in decisions relating to how public money is spent on training. 

Miliband congratulated Living Wage employers and said a Labour government would introduce new tax incentives to make it easier for more businesses to introduce it. He also talked 

of his commitment to raise the minimum wage and abolish exploitative zero-hours contracts. 

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