Building Firms should be hiring apprentices as Construction Industry booms
Firms in Cambridgeshire are risking their own futures by failing to take on apprentices as the construction industry booms.
John Malone, head of construction and engineering at Cambridge Regional College, said they have about 150 students who are desperate for a job.
But despite the Cambridge area having a large number of building projects in the pipeline, such as Papworth Hospital’s move to the Addenbrooke’s site and the new 10,000-home town called Northstowe, he says companies are not hiring them.
Councils have identified there are some 14,000 homes needed in and around Cambridge up to 2031 and Mr Malone predicts there will be a skills gap if firms do not move fast.
He said: “There are a lot of projects in Cambridge and there is going to more and more work and these companies should be looking ahead. A lot is happening at Addenbrooke’s and there are developments in the pipeline at Northstowe, Alconbury and the North West development.
“It’s about businesses securing their long term future. We’ve got all these students desperate for employment, but the companies are being slow to react. We have 300 construction students and half of them ready to be apprentices and they can have an immediate impact. They can be moulded into exactly what the employer needs from them, but many of them are not taking the long term view.”
CRC already has some 250 apprentices in the construction and engineering department.
The News teamed up with the college to try and match more firms with potential apprentices.
The aim of the campaign, which is called 125 Apprentices – 125 Years campaign, is to find 125 apprentices by the end of the academic year – one for every year the News has been publishing.
It had already sailed past the 100-mark.
It was launched last year by HRH the Duke of York and has also been supported by the Prime Minister.
Visit the CRC website at dev.camre.ac.uk/apprenticeships/app-vacancies to find yourself an apprenticeship.
If you would like to hire an apprentice contact CRC’s business development manager Phil Stittle at pstittle@camre.ac.uk or on 01223 226361
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