The majority (83%) of employers are “extremely or somewhat confident” that their apprentices will finish their training programme despite the effects of the covid-19 pandemic.
That’s according to the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB), which has found evidence of 141 apprentices being made redundant so far, out of the more-than 10,800 it has contacted.
CITB said it has put support mechanisms in place, which so far includes advance payment of grants for second and third year apprentices. Following this announcement last month, approximately £3.2m has been paid to over 1,900 employers, supporting 3,551 apprentices.
Taking on board industry feedback, on 3 April the Advanced Grant was extended to Higher Level Apprenticeships. Since then over £207,000 has been paid to 67 employers to support 328 apprentices, the CITB claimed.
Deborah Madden, CITB head of apprenticeships, said: “Apprenticeships are critical to the future of construction, so it’s encouraging to see so many employers retaining apprentices and keeping skills development high on the priority list. However, we need to bear in mind that redundancy numbers could change as construction and the wider economy adjusts in the wake of the crisis.”
