Constructive solution for trainees facing lay-offs

May 29 2009 by Chris Knox, The Journal

CONSTRUCTION bosses are being urged to take on some of the 127 trainees in the North East who are currently at risk of being left without a job after their courses finish.

The call comes from the industry body ConstructionSkills which has unveiled a host of measures to ensure that the region’s talent is not wasted.

Plans include the expansion of its Apprenticeship Matching Service (AMS), which seeks to find new work placements for apprentices who cannot continue training with their original employer as a result of cost cutting. In the North East the AMS now has 179 “at risk” trainees on its books, and while 42 of them have been helped into employment, the rising numbers have prompted calls for around 74 additional businesses to offer employment opportunities that will allow apprentices to continue training.

ConstructionSkills is also offering mentoring for apprentices, advice for employers about other areas of business support, help with paperwork, and funding options. The organisation has also launched new training models including the Group Training Association, which allows a collection of employers to act as one organisation and share the responsibilities of training and a Host Employer model, where larger contractors take on a number of apprentices then secure them work placements at suppliers.

Russell Buckley, apprenticeship manager for ConstructionSkills North East, said: “The severity of the economic downturn means that the construction industry faces many challenges this year, and continuing the development of the next generation of workers is at the forefront of these.