March 4th marks the start of National Apprenticeship Week 2019, and the launch of our annual recruitment programme for trade and professional apprenticeships, but with only a 3rd of 14-19 year olds reporting that construction is a career path of choice, there is work to do in order to make sure that the industry retains the vital skills that it needs to support infrastructure growth.
We’ve been training people for over 120 years, but it’s more vital, than ever before, that construction has a rich and diverse pool of talent, skills and capabilities to ensure we have the right people with the right skills at the right time to support Seddon, our supply chain and the growth of the construction industry.
Apprenticeships are a great way to develop and retain both traditional craft skills that have been passed down from generation to generation, and new technological advances, ensuring that we have the right skills to adapt to the fundamentally traditional, but ever- changing environment that is the construction sector.
At Seddon, we continue to invest into our workforce through our ‘grow your own’ ethos, not just utilising the current skills within construction and adding to the tug of war caused by the skills deficit, but by putting something back in to the industry, using our ‘Engage’ strategy to attract and promote career opportunities, as well as breaking down the barriers to new entrants, by working with colleges and communities to promote our vacancies and recruit in a way that ensures that we consider all our applications.
The introduction of the new apprenticeship funding model nearly two years ago, has meant that there has never been a better time to promote the benefits of apprenticeships and the investment long for needed in vocational and technical qualifications, and with over 3500 apprentices trained to date, we continue to support development of people and the retention of vital skills within the sector.
Written by Kat Healey, Head of Training & Development.