Plans to launch a landmark apprenticeship bursary have been announced by Kier Construction. The ‘Kick-Start’ Bursary is the first to be offered in the built environment, and will support apprentices who may benefit from additional financial support to enter or continue their journey in the workplace. New and existing apprentices across all
Following on from National Apprentice Week a survey of over 1000 employers has been carried out to discover attitudes towards apprenticeships from employers within the industry. Over 1/3 of employers who haven’t hired an apprentice were not aware of the grants available. Over 40% of trade companies who haven’t hired
BDC 319 : Aug 2024
Plans to launch a landmark apprenticeship bursary have been announced by Kier Construction. The ‘Kick-Start’ Bursary is the first to be offered in the built environment, and will support apprentices who may benefit from additional financial support to enter or continue their journey in the workplace. New and existing apprentices across all of Kier’s business will be able to benefit from this opportunity, as long as they meet the key criteria of a household income of below £17,000. For those that get accepted, the bursary will provide support of £1,000 per year for each apprentice for the duration of their apprenticeship. The announcement comes during National Apprenticeship Week, 04-08 March, which celebrates apprenticeships and the positive impact they have on individuals, businesses and the wider economy. “We’re excited to be the first company in the built environment to launch an apprenticeship bursary. Starting your career and embarking on an apprenticeship should be an exciting time but, our experience has shown us that, for some people, the costs of entering the workplace itself can become a barrier. We wanted to take action that would have a direct benefit at an individual level, hopefully with this bursary we can open up access to our apprenticeships even further,” commented Jan Atkinson, talent and organisational development director at Kier.
Following on from National Apprentice Week a survey of over 1000 employers has been carried out to discover attitudes towards apprenticeships from employers within the industry. Over 1/3 of employers who haven’t hired an apprentice were not aware of the grants available. Over 40% of trade companies who haven’t hired an apprentice wouldn’t know where to start. This is despite an overwhelmingly positive response towards the scheme from those who have hired an apprentice While it is clear that those who have hired an apprentice are very supportive of the scheme, it is also clear that many employers are not sure about how they could hire an apprentice or of some of the basic benefits of hiring an apprentice. The fact that 42% of employers who haven’t yet hired an apprentice wouldn’t know where to start when it comes to hiring an apprentice and that 39% were not even aware that government grants are available, shows that there is still work to do when it comes to publicising the apprenticeship scheme. On a more positive note, it is clear that employers who have hired an apprentice have found the experience to be very valuable. 54% of employers reported that they were very satisfied with the experience and 39% said they were satisfied. The main benefit of hiring an apprentice was, perhaps unsurprisingly, providing skilled workers for the future (with 75% giving that as a response). There were also some interesting findings for those thinking of entering the sector as an apprentice, with employees saying that the most sought after quality in those looking for an apprentice was a proven work ethic. This survey was part of a wider campaign ran by Power Tool World to spread the word about apprenticeships across the sector. Chris Guy, managing director of Power Tool World, said “You can see from the results of this survey how important apprenticeships are to the construction industry and that there is still work needed to raise awareness and educate the industry. We’re taking any opportunity to do our bit to promote the scheme to young people and employers on the many benefits of apprenticeships.” As part of this, they have also created guides for apprentices (‘Kick-starting your Career in Construction’) and those thinking of hiring apprentices (“Why you should hire an apprentice” ). Both of these guides were created with the help of the National Careers Service, who provided important tips for both employers and those thinking of becoming an apprentice. By Power Tool World
