Construction union UCATT are calling for vigilance after ensuring adverts for unpaid traineeships were withdrawn.

The adverts which appeared last week on the website of Access Training offered people a 30-hours-a-week traineeship, with half a day of training in the Newcastle City Build Maintenance Warehouse. The unpaid traineeships were due to last for three to six months, with the possibility of then qualifying for an apprenticeship paying £2.65 an hour.

The adverts were removed following complaints by UCATT, UNISON and the GMB. Newcastle Council has denied authorising the adverts.

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Denis Doody, Regional Secretary of UCATT's Northern Region, said: "The removal of these adverts is to be welcomed. These schemes are nothing short of exploitation. We need to remain vigilant to ensure that similar schemes are not offered by other employers."

Although Newcastle Council denied that they had agreed to recruit unpaid trainees, UCATT has on-going concerns about the council's apprenticeship programme. The council is currently training "multi-skilled" apprentices rather than fully training an apprentice in a specific discipline such as carpentry, bricklaying, painting or plumbing.

By not fully training apprentices in a specific trade, the council is reducing their transferrable skills, which will have long-term consequences for their employment potential and earning prospects.

UCATT believes that all apprentices should be given the opportunity of training to Level 3 in a specific trade. If a company requires them to undertake additional roles, further training should then take place.

(CD/JP)