Last year, Seddon received 2,694 applications for just 20 apprenticeship roles. The demand to join construction is clearly there, so what is stopping businesses from offering more apprenticeships?
That is the question Nicola Hodkinson, Owner and Director at Seddon, explores in a new opinion piece for Construction Management. She argues the problem isn’t a lack of interest from young people or goodwill from employers. It is a system that was never designed around how construction works.
Nicola Hodkinson said: “Construction can, and should, be one of the UK’s greatest engines of social mobility.”
Apprenticeship frameworks are built for sectors with a single, stable workplace. Construction is project-based, so apprentices move between sites, supervisors and teams. Pipelines of work are uncertain, which makes multi-year training commitments risky. With low margins and cyclical workloads, employers must also cover supervision, safety and training costs before an apprentice is fully productive, including during quieter periods. Nicola also questions whether the current tax and National Insurance rules unintentionally favour self-employment over direct employment.
Seddon has seen how much apprenticeships can change lives. Apprentices have progressed from the trades into senior roles across the business. As part of its commitment to the Care Leavers Covenant, Seddon has also supported care leavers through placements and apprenticeships, with dedicated training for managers so they understand the challenges care leavers can face.
To help more employers take on apprentices, Nicola is calling for:
- targeted government funding in the early stages of an apprenticeship to reduce employer risk
- more flexible apprenticeship models that suit project-based work
- long-term procurement planning that gives businesses better visibility of future work
- a review of tax and NI rules so direct employment is commercially viable at scale
As Nicola puts it: “Construction employers stand ready to train the next generation.” The right policy support would allow the industry to do so at the scale the UK needs.
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