Bayliss: "Apprentice boost vital to avert UK skills disaster"

Chronic skills shortages will spell disaster for the UK's construction and engineering sectors unless the government accelerates young people's training, JTL's chairman, and Unite assistant general secretary, Les Bayliss warned during National Apprenticeship Week (1-5 February).

Although overall apprentice numbers rose last year, there has been a marked drop in recruitment numbers in construction and engineering which now has the oldest workforce since the second world war when most young people were mobilised.

Les Bayliss, said: “Overall apprenticeships may be growing, but in the construction and engineering sectors numbers fell dramatically during the downturn.

“Therefore in National Apprenticeship Week, we are encouraged by government plans to step up financial and logistical support, as well as exploring new ways of supporting employers in these difficult times. This includes the future jobs fund, and the £1 billion windfall on bankers bonuses which is being earmarked for jobs, training and apprenticeships for young people through the government’s ‘Backing Young Britain’ campaign.

“Unite and the industry have been calling for such support and will work with government for the future success of the UK construction industry. However, this support needs to be up and running as a matter of urgency, as a boost in apprenticeships is vital to avert a UK skills disaster and the future prospects of our nation’s young people.”

For every apprentice JTL - the leading training provider of Advanced Apprenticeships to the building services engineering sector - places with an employer, it has to turn away two applicants from young people wanting to find an apprenticeship placement with an employer.

Les Bayliss added: “At a time when school leavers are finding it tougher to find apprenticeships in construction, the most effective way for government to intervene is to use its procurement power and leverage on the public sector and infrastructure projects to make apprenticeships a priority.

“We want to see new and existing firms who have long standing and terrific records in investing in apprentices rewarded in future procurement and contracts within the supply chain in public sector projects.

“It is imperative that major infrastructure projects such as Building Schools for the Future, which are vital to firms during the downturn, are maintained while other projects such as housing and new nuclear power stations are brought forward as soon as possible.”

Over a third (36 per cent) of workers in the construction industry were under 30 in 1990 compared with only a quarter of the sector's workforce today. In 1990, over 55s represented 11 per cent of the workforce compared with 17 per cent in 2007. (1)

Although there has been a 20 per cent growth in the construction workforce since the early-1990s, the number of older workers (aged 60 and over) in the industry has doubled over this time period, while those aged 24 and under fell by 27 per cent.

Unite is UK's largest trade union with nearly 1.6 million members throughout the UK and Ireland. Members include those working in the electrical, mechanical and engineering sectors, and Unite negotiates for thousands of skilled members employed in just about every private and public industry.

Unite has long-standing national agreements with the employers’ trade associations in construction and building services engineering, including the joint establishment in 1990 of the apprenticeship training provider JTL, ensuring the facility for world class skills provision across construction and the built environment,

About JTL
JTL (http://www.jtltraining.com/) is the leading training provider to the building services engineering sector offering Advanced Apprenticeships in electrical installation, motor rewind, plumbing, heating and ventilating and engineering maintenance. The JTL apprenticeship schemes are open to young people between the ages of 16 to 24 and are an ideal entry route for those looking to start a career in the building services engineering sector.

Supporting around10,000 apprentices and working with 4,000 businesses, JTL's Advanced Apprenticeship training develops practical on-the-job experience, "earn as they learn" and the opportunity to achieve a National Vocational Qualification at Level Three.

JTL funds the cost of all off-the-job training, including college fees and course notes, as well as all on-the-job assessments, while the employer pays the apprentice's salary and associated employment costs.

Around 70 per cent of the 3,000 young people who start an Advanced Apprenticeship each year with JTL will complete it. That's compared to 50 per cent nationally for work-based learning.

(1) Findings were complied via the Construction Skills Network drawing form the Office for National Statistics Labour Force Survey and Construction Industry Council (CIC).

Organised by the National Apprenticeship Service (NAS), National Apprenticeship Week takes place from Monday 1 February to Friday 5 February 2010 to celebrate the talents and skills of apprentices.