Conservative Hartlepool by-election candidate in jobs and apprenticeships pledge after visit to beauty academy

Jill Mortimer said she is the best person to bring jobs, apprenticeships and investment after meeting future beauty experts at the Beauty Academy in Hartlepool town centre.

The academy in the Gemini Centre offers post-16 and adult education courses and qualifications for people wanting a career in the beauty industry.

Ms Mortimer, along with Conservative Tees Valley mayoral candidate Ben Houchen, spoke to trainees and managers from the Learning Curve Group which runs the academy.

“I was delighted to look around the Hartlepool Beauty Academy and meet some very talented people,” she said.

“The Academy has grasped the nettle in being an excellent place for people to get the skills and qualifications they need to enjoy long and fruitful careers in the beauty industry.

“I want to see more and more people across Hartlepool taking up courses like this across a range of industry so they can forge strong careers and futures for themselves and their families.

“If I am elected as MP on May 6, I will be working tirelessly with Ben Houchen, Hartlepool Borough Council and the Conservative Government to ensure we get more jobs, apprenticeships and investment into our town.”

Ms Mortimer said since 2010 under the Conservatives that almost 12,000 apprenticeships have been created in Hartlepool and that almost 2,000 more people are in work in the town across the same period.

She added: “The Government has introduced T Levels so all young people can access a world-class education and earn the vital skills they need for employment, while we have made it a requirement for all major new infrastructure projects to use apprentices.

“I want all of this and more for Hartlepool so we can build back better after 57 years of being taken for granted by Labour MPs.”

Next month’s by-election has been brought about after the sudden resignation of Labour’s Mike Hill in March.

It is being hotly-contested with 16 candidates standing for the role from a host of political parties as well as several independents.

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