The British Institute of Kitchen, Bedroom & Bathroom Installation (BiKBBI) is to offer installers easy and affordable access to apprentices with a ground-breaking employer package for the new Apprenticeship programme.

The KBB Fitted Interiors Apprenticeship programme is set to provide hundreds of youngsters with career opportunities within the KBB installation sector, tackling immediate worker shortages and longer-term skills gap challenge.

• New national network of BiKBBI approved Centres of Excellence to ensure apprentices will receive a first class foundation to their installation career;
• Compelling package of support that enables installers take on apprentices without having to deal with recruitment, employment or training complication;
• Promotional campaign backed by six figure support set to drive interest in taking up apprenticeships among young people across the country.

The British Institute of Kitchen, Bedroom and Bathroom Installation (BiKBBI) is today calling on the industry and installation businesses of all sizes to support the long-term future of the industry’s workforce by promoting the apprenticeship programme and ultimately supporting businesses to take on an apprentice, safe in the knowledge that doing so will be hassle-free with support from BiKBBI.

The invitation comes thanks to a ground-breaking package of tailored support for installation businesses that the Institute has developed in collaboration with strategic partners.

With demand for installation higher than ever, the new BiKBBI support package offers installation businesses a fast track to the workers they need for their businesses to continue to deliver and grow during these times of unprecedented demand.

The apprenticeship package that BIKBBI has developed comprehensively addresses:

• The recruitment of high-quality apprentices, including advertising vacancies, vetting applicants and carrying out all eligibility checks;
• All employment administration, including contracts and paperwork, health and safety checks, and running payroll for the apprentice;
• All of the training requirements, including placing the apprentice with an accredited training provider (BiKBBI Centre of Excellence), monitoring the apprentice’s progress and arranging for the end point assessment needed to complete the apprenticeship;
• All performance management and support for the apprentice – freeing up the installation business to focus on the work itself;
• The process to complete the apprenticeship, ensuring that the apprentice is ready to transition into the next phase of their career.

Backed by a three-year funding pledge from Quooker, BIKBBI expects this to lead to over 500 new apprentices per year entering our industry. Campaign activity will include working closely with the college recruitment departments and visiting schools to generate interest in KBB installation careers. BIKBBI is also in discussions with a number of charities and community groups to develop recruitment campaigns within underrepresented communities, helping to ensure that the people from all backgrounds take up the opportunities of a KBB installation apprenticeship.