Building apprenticeships rise but traditional trades toiling

The number of building apprentices registered in Scotland rose by 8% last year.

The figures have been issued at the start of Scottish Apprenticeship Week 2016, celebrating the contribution made by Modern Apprentices right across the country and in all walks of life.

Organised by Skills Development Scotland, the campaign highlights the commitment of businesses that have decided to invest in the skills of their workforce.

It also showcases the successes of apprentices who have chosen to get a job, get paid and get qualified to develop their careers.

The figures showing the rise to 1,683 apprentices are from the Scottish Building Apprenticeship and Training Council (SBATC).

The 2015 figure is 29% higher than the number of Scottish building apprentices indentured in 2012, when numbers reached a 15-year low of 1,299.

Apprentice numbers remain 39% below their historic peak of more than 2,700 apprentices registered in 2007, immediately before the recession.

SBATC chairman Gavin Hay said: “It is encouraging to see a further rise in the number of building apprentices registered by SBATC last year.

“The industry is continuing to witness a steady recovery in apprenticeship numbers following the severe impact of the recession.

“There remains a concern that traditional craft apprenticeships in trades such as bricklaying, stonemasonry and carpentry and joinery are not growing quite as quickly as we would like.”

Much of the growth comes from emerging construction specialist and technician apprenticeships.

Vaughan Hart, managing director of the Scottish Building Federation, went on to voice concerns that funds raised through the UK Government’s new Apprenticeship Levy will not be reinvested into the industry.

The Construction Industry Training Board released different figures showing recruitment of Scottish construction apprentices reached a fiveyear high at 1,876 last year.

The CITB, which offers grant funding for every apprentice employed, urged employers to consider recruitment to continue the upward trend.