Mike Pilkington, of Town Quay, Newton Abbot, director Pilkington Marine Ltd, writes:

Reference your article Start next week on £2 million skills college.

Sorry to be a 'party pooper', but would someone please explain how this new college is going to benefit the kids?

The students will be taught building, hairdressing and cooking and when they have finished, emptied out into a world with no jobs for them. What is the point?

Surely it would be better to use the money to encourage and assist local businesses to provide places and train apprentices in house.

I can see the builders getting a few bob out of it in the short term, but then the real beneficiaries kick in – the staff! And who will be paying for them and their fancy pensions? The taxpayer. I can see more than £2 million a year being spent in paying and supporting the staff! I thought we were cutting back?

Apparently the hairdressing salon and restaurant will be open for business, that should delight local enterprise.

For the record, we have two apprentices, we pay them and get nothing for teaching them. Strangely enough we also get nothing from government for building the premises and providing staff and equipment to train and teach.

We also have to make a profit from our enterprise to provide the money to do all this.

How is then that I have to pay the government to provide buildings and staff to train youngsters to go nowhere? Is it me?MORE LETTERS IN OUR DIGITAL EDITION