She has signed an Early Day Motion in Parliament congratulating the YWCA on its initiative and calling on the Government to develop training programmes to address the needs of these young women.
"Imagine if you had to spend the whole of your life working for a pittance. That's the harsh reality for too many young women from disadvantaged backgrounds.
"The five lowest-paying sectors for apprenticeships are ALL sectors dominated by women.
"In order to give these girls a chance to work their way out of poverty we must remind the new Prime Minister of his statement that raising skills levels was crucial to the economy and would be a major part of his leadership. Gordon Brown must now deliver on that promise by giving the most disadvantaged young women an opportunity to take their first step on the career ladder.
