Britain lags in building training

Jul 27 2007

by Iain Laing, The Journal

CONSTRUCTION companies in the UK are much worse than Continental rivals at taking on apprentices, research shows. North East Construction Skills is urging the industry to recruit more apprentices or risk falling further behind competitor countries such as France and Germany. It has found there are 516 apprentices unable to find work in the North-East alone. Currently, 28% of school leavers in England and Wales enrol on apprenticeships – compared with roughly two thirds in Germany and Austria. The Government announced earlier this year that by 2013 it wanted more young people continuing in post-16 training and education. Story continues ADVERTISEMENT It is also expected to back Lord Leitch’s recommendations for improving UK skills, including a target of 500,000 people on apprenticeships across all sectors by 2020. There are currently only 250,000 apprentices in all sectors. ConstructionSkills will, from August 1, provide employers with more financial support, in excess of £9,400 in CITB-ConstructionSkills Grant, to help them take on an apprentice and meet these targets. To increase the number of apprenticeships all industries, including construction, are going to have to persuade more employers to take on young people. So far this year more than 2,500 young people have been placed by the ConstructionSkills Apprenticeship Division with employers – But 7,000 more have passed the organisation’s selection test, so they have an aptitude for the industry, yet are still struggling to find employers. ConstructionSkills North East apprenticeships manager Sarah Fenton said: “Apprentices are not only essential to the future of the construction industry, but to the future of the UK economy. They can also be an invaluable asset to any company. “By offering a flexible resource that can help your business grow, an apprentice could be the best investment your business ever makes. “ConstructionSkills helps take the hassle out of recruiting an apprentice, offering ongoing advisory and significant financial support. Our commitment is to finding the right apprentice to suit each construction business and with a 70% completion rate, this is borne out by our apprentices, and through the many success stories we hear every day.” Bellway Homes Ltd in the North-East has taken on 35 apprentices in the last two years and Laing O’Rourke based in Newcastle has been taking apprentices for over 20 years. ConstructionSkills places approximately 9,500 traditional apprentices per year through its Apprenticeship Division – all of whom have been pre-screened to establish that they are of a good standard. To help the employer and the apprentice through the apprenticeship, ConstructionSkills offers ongoing mentoring and support from an apprenticeship officer, as well as CITB-ConstructionSkills Grant of up to £9,400 over three years

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