UCATT issued the warning following the publication of the Government's Wolf Report, which found that many vocational training courses, "didn't lead anywhere" lead to "dead end qualifications" and that there needed to be a much greater emphasis on workplace based apprenticeship.
However while the Government has welcomed the Wolf Report, its policies are in fact decreasing apprenticeship opportunities. Recently, Cabinet Office Minister Francis Maude, told Construction News that he was opposed to using Government procurement rules to require companies to train construction apprentices. He said: "We wouldn't back that…. using it [procurement policy] to stimulate the creation of more apprentices – that wouldn’t be appropriate."
Mr Maude's comments could pave the way for the Government to overturn procurement rules established by the previous Labour Government which required bidding for public sector construction contracts to guarantee the training of apprentices.
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In a further blow to construction apprentice training, it was announced this week that there would be major cuts in the funding of Decent Home schemes. The programme, which is designed to allow council’s to conduct vitally needed improvements on outdated housing stock, provides an excellent training ground for apprentices. A number of housing authorities affected by the cuts have already warned that they will be forced to rethink their apprenticeship recruitment programme.
Alan Ritchie, General Secretary of UCATT, said: "The Wolf Report reaffirms what UCATT has been saying for years, that classroom based vocational courses are not fit for purpose. However, these are just yet more warm words from the Government. Far from producing a strategy to put these plans into practice, they are intent on dismantling the limited good practice that currently exists."
The failure to train sufficient apprentice numbers has created growing skills shortages in the construction industry. Currently it is estimated that the industry annually needs over 30,000 new entrants, the level of apprentice training is only a quarter of that figure. Before the recession the industry needed over 70,000 new entrants a year.
The need for a dramatic increase in construction apprentice training, is made more pressing due to the ageing nature of the construction workforce and the fact the majority of construction workers are forced to leave the industry, due to ill health or injury before 65.
(CD/GK)
