Jack Dunkerton says immigrants bring in many skilled workers, including plumbers, carpenters and electricians, then criticises this country's training system for failing to train our young people in the same skills (Letters, July 19).

The immigrant population is here because work is plentiful and there is, indeed, a shortage of British-born skilled workers.

These immigrants are generally fellow European community citizens, who are thus entitled to work here, but it was successive governments which chose to opt into this situation and who are wholly responsible for the creation of this immigrant workforce which, it appears, has suppressed our own.

So it is Government's responsibility to ensure young people get the necessary vocational skills. Of course, we cannot blame everything on immigration and I have no doubt this Government is providing money for training. But is it being used wisely?

Vocational employers who provide skilled services have a moral duty to recruit and train staff properly - but are they getting the right Government incentives, or do they see training apprentices as a hindrance and a bad investment?

It takes some time for a trainee to become productive and costeffective and, until that time, a trainee can only be considered as an investment for the future.

Trainees are not cheap labour. A company, with its local college, can spend considerable time and money developing the requisite skills in trainees, only to find they leave before the company can recover its investment.

The industry as a whole may benefit but the training employer loses out. And perhaps it is cheaper for one company to poach trained labour from another company rather than provide training themselves.

This might well be another disincentive for training employers. Government must find a way of funding training more fairly so this practice ceases.

Of our established skilled workforce, I believe most started apprenticeships at age 16 or 17. It is critical the next generation is trained from an equally early age.

Our industry and colleges have the ability to turn youngsters into competent skilled tradespeople who will be able to compete in this multi-national immigrant labour market.

While there are health and safety considerations with the training of youngsters, employers and colleges, with Government endorsement, could produce a brand new type of apprenticeship to suit our modern-day challenges.

-Peter Mitchell, Brighton