Chronic skills shortages will spell disaster for the UK’s construction and engineering sectors, unless the Government uses public procurement to accelerate young people’s training, JTL’s Chairman and Unite Assistant General Secretary Les Bayliss warned.
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| Unite Assistant General Secretary, Les Bayliss |
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Although overall apprentice numbers rose last year, there has been a marked drop in recruitment numbers in construction and engineering which now have the oldest workforce since World War II when most young people were mobilised.
Bayliss commented: “At a time when school leavers are finding it tougher to find apprenticeships in construction, the most effective way for government to intervene is to use its procurement power and leverage on the public sector and infrastructure projects to make apprenticeships a priority.
“We want to see new and existing firms who have long standing and terrific records in investing in apprentices rewarded in future procurement and contracts within the supply chain in public sector projects. “It is imperative that major infrastructure projects, which are vital to firms during the downturn, are maintained, while plans for housing and new nuclear power stations are bought forward as soon as possible.”
The cause was taken up by Newcastle North MP Catherine McKinnell, at the beginning of September, who introduced a ten minute rule bill in parliament to ensure companies getting public money have to take on trainee workers. Although it has little chance of making law, the MP and her backers are attempting to keep the issue on the political agenda following the change of government.
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