Companies urged to take more apprentices

Jun 19 2009 by Iain Laing, The Journal

CONSTRUCTION firms in the North East are being urged to take on and train apprentices to help survive the economic downturn.

ConstructionSkills, the Sector Skills Council for the construction industry, is advising employers across the region to continue to take on apprentices in order to remain competitive and be in the strongest possible position when the upturn begins.

Even though apprentice applications are down this year on recent years, thousands more employers in England are still needed to match the demand for apprenticeship places, with 6,845 applications received so far and only 1,880 employer vacancies offered.

But 740 employers and apprentices have been matched to date, which is the same number as this time in 2008. In the North East, 667 applications have been received to date with only 105 employer vacancies offered, but with 46 employers and apprentices having been matched to date.

ConstructionSkills apprenticeships manager for the North East, Russell Buckley, said: “Taking on an apprentice may feel like the last thing on your mind at the moment. However, when times are tough, competition for contracts is even tougher. That’s when a well-trained, extra pair of hands could make a real difference to your chances.