Mature Apprenticeships

The Construction Industry continues to suffer a problem with recruitment of skilled and semi skilled personnel. There is a perception that the traditional apprenticeship training regime has all but disappeared, which is not in fact true. There is however a mismatch between the numbers and abilities of potential trainees, and employees willing to train.

Among employers there are problems that young peoples attitude to training caused difficulty. Many employers cite considerable bureaucratic disincentives in dealing with the administration of apprenticeships. Young people are often not well prepared for the world of work, and lack of transport to and from employers place of business can present insuperable problems.

There is however a pool of young people who do not get traditional apprenticeship, but still wish to become skilled. The success rate for training apprenticeship shows a marked increase when trainees have gained work experience in the industry prior to training.

An adult apprenticeship may well be the way forward training starts when the potential trainee is 22 years old, and following a test conducted by construction industry training board (CITB). The apprenticeship is registered with SBATC and leads to a SVG. level 3 in two years. There are financial assistance packages available from the CITB for employers prepared to offer this training.

This route may well represent a great opportunity for trainees, and the industry which continues to offer great career opportunities.