精东影视

The government鈥檚 reforms of apprenticeships must ensure easier access to funding for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in construction, leading industry figures have said.

Sarah Draper, people and culture director, at Rider Levett Bucknall, was asked today at 精东影视鈥檚 Good Employer Guide Live what the government can do to help the construction skills shortage, highlighted apprenticeship funding.

Draper, speaking on a panel about attracting and retaining talent, said: 鈥淚 actually had a meeting with a group from the Department of Business and Trade this morning and actually just talking about how we join up the approach to the skills challenge, the challenge of the apprenticeship levy, and how we can spend that money, how we help SMEs and actually how we join up the education system.鈥�

鈥淲e want to set people up so when they are going through education, they come out and are ready to join the industry.鈥�

Draper鈥檚 comments were echoed by Karen Brookes, chief people officer at Sir Robert McAlpine, who said: 鈥淩eform of the apprenticeship levy [so that] not just ourselves, a large contractor, but actually SMEs can access more of the funds that perhaps we cannot use.

鈥淚t鈥檚 actually very difficult to pass [the funds] down to subcontractors.鈥�

The government is planning to phase in a new growth and skills levy later this year which it has said will make it easier to use funds for a wider range of training programmes, including shorter courses, while also reducing 鈥渞ed tape鈥� to make it access funds easier. The programme is due to be phased in from this year, but the exact timetable and detail is unclear.

Elly Hoult, chief operating officer and deputy chief executive of 拢1bn-turnover housing association Peabody, said apprenticeship funding is often too complex.

She said: 鈥淚n my experience there鈥檚 quite a lot of funding in different places鈥�it鈥檚 just not very joined up. So [we need] some sort of simplification of that process.鈥�

Hoult added that the government has made a 鈥済ood step forward鈥� in axing the requirement for maths and English skills for apprentices. She said: 鈥淭hat will open up opportunities for lots of young people to think about an apprenticeship as a way forward.鈥�

Louise Ellis, chief people officer at Gleeds, said the national curriculum in schools should have a focus on the built environment.

鈥淲e just don鈥檛 do enough to talk about who we are, what we do, and the impact that we have on society,鈥� she said.