Despite government investment, the number of construction apprentices has halved through the downturn
This month鈥檚 seventh annual National Apprenticeship Week has been a valuable reminder not only of the importance of vocational training but, for me, has also served to highlight the passion and commitment that so many young people are exhibiting for success in their chosen field. However, while it has been inspiring to see so many examples of young people both entering and excelling in the workplace, there has also been an important economic message underlying it all.
Over the course of this parliament the government has committed to the biggest ever investment in apprenticeships, and is on track to create over two million new roles. More than 20,000 new apprenticeships have already been pledged by employers as part of this year鈥檚 National Apprenticeship Week, and the fact that apprentices already contribute over 拢1.8bn to the economy is a phenomenal indicator of the value that can be derived from this segment of the workforce.
Making sure that we have the right skills for future delivery and guarantee we continue to build homes that people truly want to live in must be a priority
Yet while construction unsurprisingly remains firmly within the top 20 apprenticeship frameworks, the overall number of construction apprentices being trained has halved since the beginning of the recession in 2008. At the moment the numbers are worryingly inadequate to meet the needs of the industry and, if things continue at the current rate, we are at risk of experiencing a severe skills shortage.
That鈥檚 not to say that there isn鈥檛 some amazing work going on. The government鈥檚 Trailblazer programme, which is led by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills and puts the onus firmly on employers to pilot and test the development of new apprenticeships standards, has recently been expanded from eight to a further 29 sectors, including construction.
A number of our peers already have apprenticeship schemes and, after five years of running our own apprenticeship programme, I can certainly vouch for the value that it can bring to the business. We employ 60 apprentices, representing over 10% of our entire workforce and a 33% increase on the number employed in the last financial year. However, while we want to recruit a further 20 further apprentices in 2014, there is of course still much to be done, even at an industry-wide level.
Investing in employees and making sure that we have the right skills to facilitate future delivery and guarantee that we are continuing to build homes that people truly want to live in must be a priority. It is essential that we commit to developing jobs and skills at every level, and I am a firm advocate of helping young people to gain the experience and on-the-job knowledge they need. This is the only way that we can guarantee that the industry is properly equipped to move forward, that supply can properly match demand, and that we can continue to innovate and drive best practice standards right across the board.
Chris Tinker is executive board director and regeneration chairman at Crest Nicholson
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