BSRIA is encouraged by the news that construction apprenticeships are up to pre-recession levels, according to figures from the CITB (Construction Industry Training Board), released on Monday, to coincide with National Apprenticeship Week (NAW 2016).
The number of new apprentices has hit a six-year high and reached a level not seen since before the financial crisis in 2008, increasing by 12 per cent compared to last year. A total of 22,496 young people started construction apprenticeships in 2014/2015, up from 19,973 in 2013/14.
Julia Evans, Chief Executive, BSRIA, said: “The fact that construction apprenticeships are rising demonstrates industry’s commitment to train the next generation. But with CITB research predicting 230,000 new construction jobs by 2020, we need even more young people to start apprenticeships, and to ensure companies take them on.
Apprenticeships are essential for up-and-coming builders to get into the workplace: we hope this week can highlight the importance of such a vital trade.
We need to change the image of our industry and make it a more attractive career proposition. Government can help industry to communicate better to make engineering more interesting. Maybe we need to move the focus away from one of being a ‘construction industry’ to one focussed on ‘the built environment’.
One of the biggest threats to the government’s infrastructure plans is the skills shortage in construction. And the need to stem the skills gap and attract more people into construction careers is more crucial than ever in light of a potential ‘Brexit’, as many of BSRIA’s members – and the wider industry – rely on skilled workers from Europe.”
The spirit of NAW 2016 fits in well with BSRIA’s current INSPIRE project which is working with local schools, national and local politicians and the media to promote STEM and change its perceptions.
National Apprenticeship Week 2016 – runs from 14th to 18th March
National Apprenticeship Week is co-ordinated by the National Apprenticeship Service and is designed to celebrate apprenticeships and the positive impact they have on individuals, businesses and the wider economy.
The key themes for National Apprenticeship Week 2016 are: “an apprenticeship can take you anywhere”, with a particular focus on higher skills to show how young people, entrepreneurs and businesses can “rise to the top” through traineeships and apprenticeships.
National Apprenticeship Week is co-ordinated by the National Apprenticeship Service and is designed to celebrate apprenticeships and the positive impact they have on individuals, businesses and the wider economy.
National Apprenticeship Service
The National Apprenticeship Service is part of the Skills Funding Agency, which is an executive agency sponsored by BIS to fund skills training for further education in England. It supports over 1,000 colleges, private training organisations and employers with more than £4 billion of funding each year. The service co-ordinates and promotes the delivery of apprenticeships in England.