Don't dump apprentices, contractors urged

Thousands of youngsters are looking for training places as the construction slowdown has led to a reduction in the annual requirement for new construction staff.

The house building sector has been decimated but construction output overall continues to grow and thousands of new staff are still required to enter the industry each year.

This year over 3,800 young people in England have either already been placed or are about to start their placement through ConstructionSkills.

But more than 19,000 applications have been received so far and only 4,600 employer vacancies offered.

Director of ConstructionSkills Apprenticeships, Max Hamps, 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. 

“It is vital that during these tough economic times valuable skills are not lost in the short term while plans are developed to ensure the skills base exists to support the expected expansion annually between 2009 and 2013. We will continue to work closely with the house builders in particular who so far have been the most affected by the downturn”.