We know that apprentices are the future of the construction sector. Which is why we take a week, each year, to celebrate their role and contributions.
National Apprenticeship Week (taking place 7-13 February 2022) is an important period to celebrate apprentices’ contributions to the sector, encourage greater numbers of young people into apprenticeships and make sure that building firms are aware of the value apprentices can bring.
Please note that if you’re in Scotland, Scottish Apprenticeship Week will be taking place 7-11 March 2022.
Growing skills shortages in UK construction
The unfortunate reality of growing skills shortages within the construction sector means that it’s an increasingly important week to promote the high-quality and highly paid careers that construction has to offer. The FMB’s most recent State of Trade Survey (Q4 2021) revealed a staggering 43% of smaller builders were struggling to hire carpenters and joiners, with a similarly staggering 41% struggling to hire bricklayers. It’s clear that, with an ageing workforce and decreased availability of migrant labour, more must be done to encourage the next generation into construction.
Construction career routes can be taken up in equal measure by both school leavers making their first steps on the career ladder, as well as those looking to re-train into new industries. And with construction apprenticeship starts dropping year-on-year since 2015, it’s vital that greater effort is given to encouraging more into the sector.
For too long, construction routes have not been promoted to school leavers as the high-quality careers they truly are. It can often be far more profitable and financially less burdensome to pursue an apprenticeship and a career in the trades than an expensive university course!
For those that have followed a construction route, careers in the trades have provided skills for life, leading many to create their own businesses and the opportunity to work for themselves. There aren’t too many other career routes that can say the same!
High-quality skills and training
We’re passionate about high-quality skills and training, operating an FMB Training Group made up of members who share that passion. Through this group, we advocate for high-quality skills and training that work best for the whole industry and influence industry and government developments in this area.
We know how important smaller builders are in training the next generation of tradespeople, training 71% of all construction apprentices. When surveyed in 2020, over two thirds (68%) of FMB members were either currently training an apprentice or had done so in the last year. For businesses looking to take on apprentice, there’s usually a real benefit in doing so as 40% of completed apprentices will stay working at the company that trained them for at least three years. This allows a business time to mould and train an apprentice into an ideal employee for their business.
We’ve also been leading the work on a new apprenticeship standard for construction, aimed primarily at smaller builders. We know that many smaller builders would like to employ apprentices that are being taught a range of on-site construction skills. This new standard, which is currently in development, would teach apprentices foundational skills in bricklaying, carpentry, plastering, and painting and decorating.
Explore taking on an apprentice
We would urge any building firm looking to grow their business to explore the possibility of taking on an apprentice or trainee. Depending on your needs and business type, there’s a suite of different financial supports and guidance out there for you to make the most of. If you want more information on the support that’s available if you are looking to take on an apprentice, please visit the FMB’s Ultimate Guide to Construction Apprenticeships.
If you want more information from a Master Builder on what it’s like taking on an apprentice and what can make an apprenticeships so successful, take a look at our How to Train an Apprentice Video.
If you want to show your support for apprenticeships during National Apprenticeship Week 2022, please do get involved and make sure to post on social media the benefits apprenticeships can bring, using National Apprenticeship Week’s #NAW2022 and #BuildTheFuture campaign hashtags.
