The civil engineering contractor Seymour Civil Engineering has spoken about how important it is that apprenticeship providers work in order to tackle the increasing shortage of skilled workers. The North East based company has said that companies that offer apprenticeships need to make sure that they are working to reduce the demand for skilled workers in order to support the industry into the future. Engineering UK published research that had been carried out in to the shortage of workers at the  minute and has found that companies would need to recruit a total of 56,000 engineers each year, every year, until 2022 in order to cut the shortage that is apparent in the sector. At the moment, the data shows that there is a shortfall of around 28,000 apprentices each year. Another study has been carried out by Adecco which has shown that a quarter of the employees in the UK that contribute towards the apprenticeship levy don’t actually take on and train any apprentices. Therefore those that contribute to the levy could help to support the industry and reduce the demand for skilled workers that is getting worse by offering apprenticeship places. Seymour Civil Engineering has looked at all of the information available and feels that the training of apprentices is vital for the future of the sector and the wider construction industry as a whole. Therefore the business will continue to take on apprentices. The Civil Engineering company has seen great results from the apprenticeship scheme they have in place in the industry as well as the wider community. The business also believes that working with local colleges and training boards is essential to educate students about the different areas and career options open to them. Apprenticeships also help those going through the training, giving them actual work experience instead of theoretical knowledge. This allows them to make more informed decisions about what area they would be interested in starting a career in as well as building connections with businesses and getting hands on experience.