There has been a 30% increase in the number of construction companies taking on apprentices but more than three-quarters make no room for them.
A survey of 1500 construction employers for the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) revealed that 26% of firms took on apprentices in 2014. This is an increase from just 20% in 2013.
Asked if they were likely to take on apprentices in the year ahead, only 25% of companies said they would – down slightly from 27% in 2013, but significantly up from 15% in 2011.
Of those who do employ apprentices, 75% said that they were either ‘satisfied’ or ‘very satisfied’ with them. 20% were dissatisfied and 5% neutral.
CITB head of research Gillian Econopouly said: “These figures reveal that as our industry returns to growth, more apprentices are being recruited and are making a real difference to businesses. However, with our recent forecast showing over 200,000 jobs to be created in construction over the next five years, many more firms need to take on apprentices so that our industry can deliver all of the exciting projects in the pipeline.”
