News

CITB NI build on their apprenticeship success to get more young people employed in the industry

Additional grant funding, information and guidance from CITB NI resulted in 103 new apprentices joining the construction industry last year.  Encouraged by its success, and given the need for the industry to recruit and train apprentices, CITB NI will further enhance the grant funding by 30% to help encourage more young people to join the industry and more employers to support them.

Skills shortages and an aging workforce are putting the industry at risk in particular in trade areas such as brick laying, joinery and roofing.

CITB NI has enhanced apprenticeship grants available to CITB NI registered employers meaning that an employer can gain £5200[i] during the 3 year cycle of training an apprentice plus an additional £1500 from the Department for the Economy for employers who take on apprentices from the very start right through to completion of NVQ Level 2 and 3.

Barry Neilson, Chief Executive CITB NI said, “Construction Employers in Northern Ireland are not taking on enough apprentices to help sustain the future of the industry. CITB NI we want to help employers realise the importance of apprenticeships, their value and make sure they know how to go about taking on a young person in an apprenticeship role. We want employers to make a difference, retain the apprentices beyond level 2 and potentially make them an overall part of the workforce.  Apprenticeships help nurture and develop a skill that is why we have boosted the grants funding to help improve the apprenticeship uptake within our sector.”

Over the next few months CITB NI will showcase the importance and benefits of construction apprenticeships to employers and the youth market and highlight the next steps in order to bridge the impending skills gap and help attract more than 100 much needed apprentices into the industry.

For more information on this initiative log on to http://www.citbni.org.uk/Apprenticeships.aspx like us on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/CITBNorthernIreland and follow the discussion on Twitter @CITBNI and LinkedIn http://linkd.in/1GBeyLf