United_Digital1_8:Activist issue 7 12/06/2009 13:25 Page 21
united digital apprenticeships
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Unite and industry contractors are working to give young people the tools of
a trade
A £1bn incentive scheme designed to of being an electrician. “I really enjoy the work number of issues surrounding the Bill.
encourage young people to undertake because it’s challenging and very rewarding, and
apprenticeships has been unveiled by the the people I work with are fantastic. Hopefully The delegation is calling for the government to
government, with 42,000 new apprenticeships I can continue to work with this firm once I recognise the importance of unions and to
in the construction industry alone expected finish my apprenticeship.” stimulate apprenticeships through
by 2012. procurement, increasing numbers to meet
Unite has consistently argued that industry needs, while also considering
The apprenticeships, skills, children and apprenticeships must be a requirement on development of adult apprenticeships and adult
learning Bill will be the most dramatic reform publicly funded contracts to achieve skills craft training.
in apprenticeship legislation in almost 200 sustainability, and the union’s arguments have
years, with the government announcing funding not gone unheard. New government Unite assistant general secretary Les Bayliss,
for an extra 35,000 apprentices next year in commitments on procurement are expected who chairs the JTL board said apprenticeships
both the public and private sectors and add to see a dramatic increase in new must be genuine and of high quality, not just a
£140m to the £1bn already pledged to the apprenticeships in construction and the built cosmetic exercise.
schemes. environment.
“The government’s target of 400,000
The legislation is designed to give all suitably In May JTL was also awarded a share of the apprentices throughout the whole of British
qualified young people a legal right to on-the- government’s new £11m apprenticeship industry by 2020 will only succeed if the
job development and give employees increased expansion scheme, which will deliver an quality of the training reflects best standards
access to training programmes. Nearly 60 per additional 400 apprentice electricians and and best practice.
cent of the funding will be targeted towards 16 plumbers on top of the normal annual intake.
to 18-year-olds with the majority of the The scheme aims to subsidise the employment “I hope that companies take inspiration from
remaining support going to support 19 to 24- of those first year apprentices in these difficult the apprenticeships agenda and from their
year-old apprentices. economic times. counterparts who have wisely chosen to
invest in apprentices, including fully utilising
The Bill will also ensure apprentices and their It’s expected that 250,000 apprenticeships will the excellent resources available to the
employers have a jointly agreed contract, be starting every year by 2020, meaning one in industry from JTL, including significant access
allowing every suitable young person entitled five young people will begin an apprenticeship to government funding.”
to an apprenticeship by 2013. in the next 10 years.
The government has also announced a policy
It will also set the legal rights and Plans to operate a national apprenticeship- of compulsory recruitment of apprentices as
responsibilities of the new national vacancy matching service to link potential part of the requirements for employers
apprenticeship service which is being apprentices and employers and allow bidding for public sector projects announced
established to provide focused leadership for employers to advertise vacancies through a before the credit crunch.
the programme and make it easier for national portal are also being rolled out.
employers to offer apprenticeships. All of these major projects are planned to
In letting contracts for construction projects, continue and will include building schools,
Unite and JTL the government will consider on a case-by- hospitals, roads and various other large scale
The largest proportion of apprentices in the case basis making it a requirement that ventures.
electrotechnical and plumbing sectors in successful contractors have apprentices as an
England and Wales are provided directly identified proportion of their workforce while Capital spending on schools-building would
through the industry’s joint training provider ensuring its contracts remain accessible to increase from £5.9bn last year to
JTL, a not for profit industry training provider small businesses. £8.3bn and would require an extra 30,000
which was established by Unite and the people to complete the projects.
Electrical Contractors Association in 1990. Daniel Cook, who finished his four year It’s hoped the construction industry will
apprenticeship through JTL in 2004, says it was benefit greatly from the reforms amid fears
JTL currently works with 4,000 employers and the best way to get a trade. Daniel now works that it will face an acute skills shortage as the
has 10,000 apprentice electricians in training in for J Brand Ltd doing electrical maintenance. workforce ages and recruitment dwindles.
England and Wales and is rapidly expanding
apprenticeships into plumbing, heating and Earn and learn A new generation of apprentices will be
mechanical trades, plus engineering “I have a secure job now, and the skills I am needed even more as eastern European
maintenance apprentices for the NHS. continually acquiring will help me in the future. economies mature and the UK cannot rely
An apprenticeship through JTL is secure as heavily on skilled migrants to fill the gap.
Unite member Matthew Lines, a 16-year-old because it is government-backed, meaning you
first year electrical apprentice, is employed by can earn and learn at the same time.” More than 130,000 employers currently
T. Clarke on the Olympic project where he is offer apprenticeship places in over 180
gaining the practical skills he needs to achieve A lobby group of senior industry leaders from different types of apprenticeships across 80
his goal of becoming an electrician. the electrical contracting industry, led by industrial sectors. Apprenticeship starts have
Unite, with representatives from the JIB, ECA, increased from 65,000 in 1996/97 to
Matthew says he opted for an apprenticeship SummitSkills, JTL, T. Clarke and NG Bailey met 225,000 in 2007/08, with more than two
during the downturn to secure a trade and in Westminster with John Denham MP, million people have started an
gain valuable skills to help him pursue his goal Secretary of State for Skills to highlight a apprenticeship during this period.
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