Skills minister John Hayes has announced that that the duration of apprenticeships will be increased to promote improvements in training and workplace learning. This followed the release of half yearly figures last week showing an increase in apprenticeship starts in England between August 2011 and January 2012.
CITB-ConstructionSkills chief executive Mark Farrar said: “With more than a million young people unemployed, apprenticeships are a great pathway to employment and training - but if we are to stimulate growth in the economy and get Britain working, we need to ensure that our apprentices have the right skills and knowledge in place to start a career in construction and this simply can’t be achieved by short duration apprenticeships.”
In the last 12 months, CITB-ConstructionSkills has reported an increase in the number claims from providers who have fast tracked candidates –and badged short term duration courses in construction as apprenticeships.
Mr Farrar added: “We have rejected claims for qualifications achieved in less than 18 months and framework completions for full level 2 apprentices achieved between 12 and 17 months – because we don’t believe that short duration courses will support our industry long term.
“Indeed, our major employers groups have renewed their commitment to quality apprenticeships by growing the number of places on offer this year. However, there is still more to do to safeguard the skills needs of the industry for when the market picks up so government’s commitment to investing in quality apprenticeships today is good news”.
CITB-ConstructionSkills provided more than £49m in apprenticeship grants to 10,000 employers in 2011, and helped 63,658 people to achieve vocational qualifications. Most level 2 frameworks in construction were achieved between 18 and 30 months – with level 3 frameworks being awarded 12 months after the completion of a level 2 framework.
Got a story? Email news@theconstructionindex.co.uk
