Unite calls for government investment in construction jobs training
Unite officials have warned that greater investment is needed in training young people for jobs in construction and engineering.
Les Bayliss, assistant general secretary for the union, encouraged private and public sector investment in training to help attract young people in to the construction and engineering sectors. Unite fears that the construction industry has an ageing workforce that the UK will struggle to replace in the near future. It believes that there are insufficient opportunities for young people to secure apprenticeships, needed to qualify for civil engineering jobs and many other specialist construction jobs.
"Overall apprenticeships may be growing, but in the construction and engineering sectors numbers fell dramatically during the downturn"" said Bayliss, whose comments were published as part of National Apprenticeship Week.
According to Building, today only a quarter of the construction and engineering sector's workforce is below the age of 30. This contrasts with 36% in 1990. However, there is still high demand among young people for opportunities to enter construction and engineering. JTL, who Building describes as "the leading training provider of Advanced Apprenticeships to the building services engineering sector, has said that it turns away two applicants for every apprentice it places with an employer.
Bayliss said that Unite wanted to see firms rewarded for "investing in apprentices" with preferential treatment for public sector building contracts and procurement. He added that he was "encouraged by government plans to step up financial and logistical support, as well as exploring new ways of supporting employers in these difficult times", such as the future jobs fund.
Author: William Hobson
Keywords: construction jobs, jobs in construction, Engineering Job Vacancies