Construction union UCATT have warmly welcomed the announcement that all contractors on Government construction projects will be required to train apprentices. It is expected that the announcement will create at least an additional 7,000 construction apprenticeship places.

Alan Ritchie, General Secretary of construction union UCATT, said: "This is excellent news. For nearly 30 years the industry has not been training sufficient numbers of construction apprentices. There is a problem with both a skills gap and an aging workforce in the industry. The Government's actions support UCATT's research that the voluntary approach to apprenticeships has failed; employers were simply not interested in training the workers of tomorrow. Now they will have to or they will not receive Government contracts."

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The majority of the new apprentices are likely to work on the Government's Building Schools for the Future project, the ongoing refurbishment and replacement of further education colleges and the building of new hospitals and roads.

The Government's announcement mirrors proposals put forward in academic research published by UCATT earlier this year. The report Apprenticeships - A Firm Foundation found that despite over a decade of growth up to 2008, employers had failed to increase the number of apprentices being trained and in fact numbers had declined. The report warned unless training apprentices became part of the letting of Government contracts, the system would collapse.

There is not a shortage of young people interested in training for a career in construction. In recent years over 45,000 young people have applied to Construction Skills for a place but only 8,500 places have been available. The number of apprenticeship places is expected to have dropped sharply this year due to the economic downturn.

(CD/JM)