New research has shown that more and more apprentices have been taken on by civil engineering contractors over the course of the 2012/13 year.
The Civil Engineering Contractors Association's (CECA) annual training and development report has revealed that its members recruited 20 per cent more apprentices over this time period compared to the previous year.
While Government figures released recently showed that apprentice recruitment figures decreased by over 4,000 last year across the wider construction industry, this report shows a healthy uptick in the number of apprenticeship starts.
Five hundred and fifty-six apprentices are currently employed by the 89 companies that were surveyed for the report, which represented one apprentice for ever 69 employees. While 257 of the apprentices were recruited in the 2011/12 year, 314 were recruited in the last year.
Alasdair Reisner, CECA director of external affairs, told The Construction Index: “As the industry emerges from the downturn it is good to see that CECA members are supporting new entrants to the industry. However, with the potential of significant boosts in output on the horizon, we must ensure that the industry is well placed to respond.
“For this reason we welcome the CITB’s recent decision to provide additional support to the industry through its