Less than 1.5% of CITB contracted apprentices have been made redundant over COVID-19

Construction sector looks to future skills by retaining apprentices 

Just 141 apprentices have been made redundant in Britain to date out of more than 10,800 contacted by CITB.

CITB’s Apprenticeship Team has been reaching out to apprentices throughout England, Scotland and Wales to make them aware of the support available during the current Covid-19 crisis. An additional survey report taken from employers reveals that 83% are ‘extremely or somewhat confident’ that their apprentice will finish their training programme.

CITB has put key 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 £207k has been paid to 67 employers to support 328 apprentices.

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.”

CITB is urging all employers not to dismiss any apprentice without first speaking to the Apprenticeship team.

The Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) supports the skills needs of British construction – in England, Scotland and Wales. It attracts talent to the construction sector so employers have an adequate recruitment pool, and encourages employers of all sizes to access the skills training necessary to grow their businesses.