Construction apprenticeships across Great Britain are up 12% in the past year, reaching levels not seen since before the 2008 financial crisis.

New stats released by the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB), for National Apprenticeship Week (14-18 March), reveal that 22,496 young people started construction apprenticeships in 2014/2015. This is up from 19,973 in 2013/14.

Construction apprenticeships hit a low of 17,500 in 2012 as firms felt the effects of the recession, but opportunities for young people are increasing in the current period of steady growth.

Separate CITB research released today shows that employers find apprentices perform well in the workplace. The massive survey of 1,500 construction employers across the UK showed that four in five (78%) of employers rated their apprentices’ work as good or very good, compared with 73% for graduates and 59% for FE leavers.

Gillian Econopouly, Head of Policy and Research at CITB, said: “Construction apprenticeships are growing, which demonstrates industry’s commitment to train the next generation. But with CITB research predicting 230,000 new construction jobs by 2020, we need even more young people to start apprenticeships, and to help more firms take them on.

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