ED MILIBAND accused some bosses of freeloading yesterday as he revealed Labour’s plan to force publicly funded firms to offer apprenticeships.

Speaking in London, Mr Miliband said Britain was “too often a country where some employers are free-riding on others” when it came to offering opportunities to the next generation.

And he announced Labour would compel companies that win state-funded contracts or hire workers from outside the EU to offer apprenticeships.

“What we want to say is to do it with a little more responsibility,” he said.

“So for example, if you get a major commercial contract, you’ve got to provide apprenticeships.

“If you’re bringing in a skilled worker from outside the EU you need also to provide an apprenticeship.”

Mr Miliband made the announcement as he launched Labour’s education manifesto, which also earmarked £50 million to fund face-to-face careers advice for all teens.

Shadow education secretary Tristram Hunt said it would ensure that guidance is no longer the “preserve of only a privileged few.”

The policy won praise from the National Union of Students (NUS) and academics’ union UCU.

Calling on other parties to match Labour’s pledge, NUS president Toni Pierce said careers advice services were “woefully inadequate and letting people down.”

But UCU leader Sally Hunt said union members were still in the dark over whether Labour will reverse “pernicious” Con-Dem cuts to adult education. 

And teachers’ union NUT general secretary Christine Blower pointed out there was no mention of the Ofsted school inspectorate in Labour’s manifesto.

“This is an area that desperately needs looking at,” she said. “This inspection system has lost the trust of the profession and is stifling creativity in the curriculum.”