ConstructionSkills urges the sector to celebrate its achievements during National Apprenticeship Week on 23-27th February 2009

The drive to celebrate and encourage apprenticeships across all sectors continues next month with England’s second annual National Apprenticeship Week and ConstructionSkills is encouraging employers to join in the celebrations by doing what they can to champion the benefits that Apprenticeships bring to their own firms.

ConstructionSkills, the leading supplier of apprentices in England will mark its involvement in over 40 years of apprenticeship placements by championing all 2008’s successful apprenticeship completions.  ConstructionSkills’ apprenticeship team will attend recruitment fairs around the country and host events designed to encourage more employers to get on board.

The week not only provides the opportunity to celebrate achievements and raise the profile of apprentices but also to remind employers of the vital role apprentices play in today’s construction industry and the support available to help them to offer apprenticeship placements. ConstructionSkills provide grant support to employers of up to £9,820 over the course of a 3 year apprenticeship and have a dedicated team which works closely with both employers and apprentices throughout the training period.

Max Hamps, Director of ConstructionSkills Apprenticeships, says: “We are proud to support Apprenticeship Week. It’s a great opportunity to get people talking about the benefits of apprenticeships and to remind construction firms that taking on an apprentice gives you the unique opportunity to train someone to work in a way that fits your business.

“Many of the companies ConstructionSkills work with have been taking on apprentices for years now, and some are now in very senior positions in the company – so have provided amazing value for money in the long-term!”

Apprenticeship Week is coordinated by the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) and runs from 23 to 27 February. The Learning and Skills Council will be celebrating the achievements of apprentices across all sectors through events, interviews, web chats and activities underlining the real benefits of apprenticeships. To find out more about Apprenticeship Week go to www.apprenticeships.org.uk

The week’s activities form part of a broader agenda to establish apprenticeships as a mainstream option for 16-18 year olds following the Government commitment to increase the number of apprenticeships across all sectors in England to 400,000 by 2020.  In addition the new Children, Skills and Learning Bill, announced in December’s Queen's Speech, if passed, will give all qualified young people a legal right to an apprenticeship from 2013. The Government has pledged to invest £1 billion more in apprenticeship schemes to help apprenticeships resume their rightful position as a key vehicle for qualifying tomorrow’s workforce.

For more information on ConstructionSkills Apprenticeship please contact your local ConstructionSkills office on 0844 844 0046.

Notes to Editors

For media information please contact:

Andrew Mabey at ConstructionSkills on 0300 456 5407 andrew.mabey@cskills.org

About Apprenticeship Week

A week-long celebration of the unprecedented success of Apprenticeships will take place from 23rd-27th February across England. The week seeks to raise the profile of Apprenticeships and encourage more employers to take on apprentices whilst paying tribute to the achievements of employers and apprentices so far and explaining the key role that Apprenticeships are playing in today’s world.

About ConstructionSkills

ConstructionSkills is the Sector Skills Council for the construction industry. It is UK-wide and represents the whole industry from professional consultancies to major contractors and SMEs. Established as a Sector Skills Council in 2003, ConstructionSkills is working to deliver a safe, professional and fully qualified construction workforce.

ConstructionSkills is a partnership between CIC, CITB Northern Ireland and CITB-ConstructionSkills. All three partners are committed to working together to deliver industry-led skills and training solutions through the Sector Skills Agreement for construction. We work to negotiate the best partnership and funding deals for the construction industry to help raise standards and we develop the skills products and services employers need.

The construction sector is central to the UK economy, generating almost 9% of UK GDP and with a turnover of more than £203bn a year. It employs 2.5 million people and requires more than 40,000 new entrants per year to 2012, as forecast by our Construction Skills Network.

About ConstructionSkills’ Apprenticeships

ConstructionSkills Apprenticeships operates through a network of regional offices and offers extensive training opportunities in close co-operation with employers. All off-the-job training for S/NVQs and key skills is subcontracted to colleges of further education and commercial training centres. All learners are employed and working towards S/NVQs within nationally agreed frameworks for their trades. ConstructionSkills Apprenticeships also provides benefits such as payment of college fees and apprentice travel and accommodation, as well as apprenticeship Grant.