CITB-ConstructionSkills launches Shared Apprenticeship Scheme

A new scheme has been launched to deliver more Apprenticeships by enabling apprentices to complete their programmes with different construction employers.

The Shared Apprenticeship Scheme, created by the CITB-ConstructionSkills national training organisation, was created to support employers working on regional contracts who are unable to offer full term Apprenticeships. Under the plan, strategic regional partners, including housing associations and local authorities, will work together to  match apprentices with suitable opportunities.

Steve Hearty, head of employer services at CITB-ConstructionSkills, said: “The Shared Apprenticeship Scheme is a fantastic programme which will help to tackle head on some of the major challenges that the industry faces in ensuring we develop the right skills, in the right places, at the right time.

“All apprentices on the scheme will be offered the opportunity to achieve a level 3 qualification in the apprenticeship they undertake. For both employers and apprentices it provides a simple and effective solution that does not substitute traditional recruitment but instead drives additional skills development to meet the needs of employers and industry.

“More widely however, shared apprenticeships will put industry in a far better position to develop and grow the skills base that’s needed at a local level and in line with our forecast projections for future demand. This with strengthen the industry’s ability to meet future demand and take advantage of opportunities when the upturn comes.”

Over the coming year, the training organisation expects to develop ten new schemes, which will support the recruitment of up to 500 apprentices. Currently, the scheme has six major delivery partners, and the group hopes to attract wider interest as it develops.

Natalie Thornhill