Construction and related firms operate in a challenging financial climate and are under pressure to cut costs, but for businesses which can continue to commit to training apprentices at this time, ConstructionSkills has unveiled some important new measures.

Our Apprenticeship Matching Service (AMS) aims to help employers continue training existing construction apprentices and, where this is not possible, find alternative employment for the young people.

Since January this year, the total number of construction and joinery apprentices that have registered for support from the programme now stands at over 900. The ConstructionSkills’ AMS team has already assisted over 450 carpentry and joinery apprentices either to stay on with their current employers or to complete their training with new ones, but further support is still needed from around 450 carpentry firms.

Carpentry apprentices who come through the AMS are often near the end of their training, so they are close to being fully operational on site, requiring only limited time and financial investment from businesses which take them on.

Employers can therefore join the fight for the industry’s future by looking at whether they have the capacity to take on an ‘at risk’ carpentry apprentice through the AMS, or by considering employing a new one.

There has been a shortage of employers willing to take on carpentry apprentices for a few years, so it is not just existing apprentices that are required to maintain the industry’s workforce to meet demand. There is also a crucial need to expand training opportunities.

New carpentry apprentices have the potential to help the entire industry in preparing for the upturn and can benefit employers in bidding for contracts and retaining business at this challenging time. They can also be trained up to suit an individual company’s way of working, meaning they are likely to be a loyal employee both now and in the future.

For more information on the AMS and options on recruiting new apprentices visit www.cskills.org or call 0844 875 0086.