Held as part of Apprenticeship week, the conference will aim to highlight the value of apprenticeships within the manufacturing sector.

Watts said: "Apprentices are crucial for the future of the Britain as they represent the way forward in ensuring that vital skills are not lost from industry within the next 10 – 15 years.

"Industry has lost the habit of encouraging apprentices into their companies and fails to see the vast opportunities and benefits apprenticeships can offer."

The conference will feature a speech from the minister for skills John Hayes as well as speakers from manufacturing sector skills councils, Proskills and Semta (science, engineering and manufacturing technologies).

The combined bodies at the event will also use the conference as a showcase to launch a unifying guide that details the funded apprenticeship frameworks available for a range of manufacturing industries.

Len McCluskey, general secretary of Unite, said:  "Skills development is vital for productivity in any industry. The government now needs to make sure that funding is available to go in to schools and careers services to show that there is nothing wrong with manufacturing."

"For a long time we have agreed with what the government has said but now we need more than words, we need action. To get the most out of apprentices, a sectoral approach is needed across manufacturing and it’s time that Sector Skills Councils are given the chance to do their jobs properly.," added Watts.