BSRIA is celebrating National Apprenticeship Week 2018 – running from Monday 5th to Friday 9th March 2018 – which brings together employers and apprentices from across England to celebrate the success of apprenticeships.
The theme of National Apprenticeship Week 2018 is Apprenticeships Work and showcases how apprenticeships work for individuals, employers, local communities and the wider economy.
Julia Evans, Chief Executive, BSRIA, said:
“With the housing industry set to receive £44bn in financial incentives to increase supply to 300,000 new homes a year by the mid-2020s, the biggest annual increase in housing supply since 1970, construction and engineering apprentices are crucial.
Apprenticeships attract diverse talent and ensure industry is future proofed. They can deliver improved productivity, employee retention and bring new ideas and ways of working into the workplace.
They also help communities by creating a stronger and fairer economy where lives are transformed and people can fulfil their potential. Indeed, apprenticeships are especially essential for up-and-coming builders to get into the workplace: we hope this week can highlight the importance of such crucial careers and trades.
We need to change the image of our industry and make it a more attractive career proposition. BSRIA is calling for the focus to shift from one of being a ‘construction industry’ to one focused on ‘the built environment’.
One of the major threats to housing building is the skills shortage in construction. And the need to curtail the skills gap and attract more people into construction careers is more essential than ever since Brexit, as many of BSRIA’s members – and the wider industry – rely on skilled workers from Europe.
An apprenticeship can take you anywhere and young people, engineers and entrepreneurs alike can rise to the top through traineeships and apprenticeships.”
The spirit of NAW 2018 fits in well with BSRIA’s INSPIRE project which is working with local schools, national and local politicians and the media to promote STEM and change its perceptions. In the summer of 2017, BSRIA continued its tradition of building and sharing knowledge by recruiting a 21-year old summer intern to give her experience in the professional workplace and undertake a perceptive report: available to download: Inspiring Tomorrow's Engineers – which considers engineering careers over a wide selection of industries.
BSRIA is delighted to be celebrating the 2018 Year of Engineering and will be running a series of events and careers days with local schools and colleges. This national campaign is designed to increase awareness and understanding of what engineers do among young people aged seven to 16, their parents and teachers.
National Apprenticeship Week 2018, co-ordinated by the National Apprenticeship Service, is an “exciting opportunity” to celebrate apprenticeships and how they benefit people, businesses, communities and our economy.
Now in its 11th year, this national moment brings together everyone passionate about apprenticeships to encourage more people to choose apprenticeships as a fast-track to a great career and business growth.
The National Apprenticeship Service supports the delivery of apprenticeships in England. It offers free impartial advice and support to employers looking to recruit for the first time or expand their apprenticeship programmes. This includes simplifying the process of recruiting an apprentice through the support of employer focused teams. Call 0800 015 0600 or search for apprenticeships on GOV.UK to find out more.
Apprenticeships have doubled in funding terms from 2010-11.
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