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FMB announces apprenticeships boost
15/03/10
Edited by Tom Bardsley. The Federation of Master Builders (FMB) has backed a new scheme that aims to help the construction sector retain more trainees.
Currently, the organisation said that thousands of young people who become apprentice builders, electricians and plumbers do not stay in the building industry because a lack of on-site experience means they cannot qualify for NVQ Level Two.
In response to this, the Cross-Industry Construction Apprenticeship Task Force has launched the Pathways to Construction scheme, which aims to create 500 additional on-site training places over the next two years. With match funding from the government, this could increase to 1,000 openings.
The FMB is contributing £10,400 towards the programme to provide ten first-year college students with 16-week work experience placements with one of its member firms. The placements are expected to lead to full apprenticeships.
FMB director-general Richard Diment said: "It is disappointing that in an industry which has always favoured apprenticeships and which has around 192,000 companies, less than ten per cent employ an apprentice."
He added that this rises to 22 per cent among federation members and he called on all firms within the FMB to offer training places.
According to a YouGov poll for the National Apprenticeship Service, 81 per cent of people would be more willing to use a firm if they employed young trainees.
