Constructive Solution for Trainees Facing Layoff
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
“Increasingly more apprentices are becoming ‘at risk’ of being laid off, and to stem this tide we need more employers, who have the capacity to offer training opportunities to these young people.” If this doesn’t happen, then the UK’s construction sector risks seeing the continuation of skills shortages that have plagued the industry since the last recession.”
One employer which made use of the AMS was Newcastle-based JD Joinery and Building, which recently took on student Paul Mitchell to help him complete his training.
JD Joinery and Building director Joe Dixon, said: “I’m so pleased to be able to accommodate apprentices in spite of the downturn. They should all be given a chance to start out on the right foot when they enter the professional world, and I’m proud of the training I can offer them.” Paul Mitchell, 19, said: “I was made redundant last August when I was coming to the end of my NVQ Level 2 in Bricklaying. I was worried I might not be able to go on to do my NVQ Level 3, but in October I got a call from ConstructionSkills, asking if I could see Joe at JD Joinery for an interview.
“I was so relieved when he offered me a job. The company has a great atmosphere and I’m really grateful that I’ve been able to continue working in construction.”
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
“Increasingly more apprentices are becoming ‘at risk’ of being laid off, and to stem this tide we need more employers, who have the capacity to offer training opportunities to these young people.” If this doesn’t happen, then the UK’s construction sector risks seeing the continuation of skills shortages that have plagued the industry since the last recession.”
One employer which made use of the AMS was Newcastle-based JD Joinery and Building, which recently took on student Paul Mitchell to help him complete his training.
JD Joinery and Building director Joe Dixon, said: “I’m so pleased to be able to accommodate apprentices in spite of the downturn. They should all be given a chance to start out on the right foot when they enter the professional world, and I’m proud of the training I can offer them.” Paul Mitchell, 19, said: “I was made redundant last August when I was coming to the end of my NVQ Level 2 in Bricklaying. I was worried I might not be able to go on to do my NVQ Level 3, but in October I got a call from ConstructionSkills, asking if I could see Joe at JD Joinery for an interview.
“I was so relieved when he offered me a job. The company has a great atmosphere and I’m really grateful that I’ve been able to continue working in construction.”