CITB survey shows teenagers keen on construction career

A Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) survey has revealed that young people are keen to join construction with applications for college construction courses for 16-18 year olds up by 19% and figures for 19-year-olds up by a quarter.

A survey of 67 colleges across the UK shows that school leavers are now eager to sign up to apprenticeships and full time courses in construction at further education colleges.

However, the figures also reveal an urgent need to attract more employers to provide the vital work experience element of the apprenticeship framework and first jobs for those finishing full time college courses.

In the survey 74.6% of colleges said they thought they could be over subscribed next year and 48% of colleges need to find these jobs or work experience places for their current applicants.  

Meanwhile, last months' CITB marketing campaign designed specifically to encourage more employers to take on apprentices was a success, generating 972 inquiries from employers and identifying 1,402 vacancies for apprenticeships, 179 from employers who had never taken on an apprentice before. 

But despite the successful response to the campaign many more employers are needed. CITB's business area manager Paul Sykes said: "This research shows that there is no one single reason why companies do not want to take on apprentices. Many are unaware that current interest means they will have several applicants to choose from or that there are grants available to help fund the training.  

"We are offering substantial grants, currently £6,000 per apprentice to help employers cover the costs of taking on an apprentice."

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