More Young People Showing Interest in Construction Careers

MORE YOUNG PEOPLE are showing interest in construction careers, according to findings from Construction Industry Training Board (CITB).

CITB says it has seen a 45% increase in the number of people seeking information about a career in construction online. It has seen almost one million visits to its Go Construct website so far this year. A recent survey showed a third of users were under the age of 18, while 33% were female.

The findings, published in the CITB’s quarterly performance report, also showed a 13% increase in the number of employers accessing CITB training support. This is above CITB’s target of 3% and there were 11,020 work taster sessions delivered.

More than 700 additional employers have been supported, with around £59m invested in grants. Over 1,500 micro and small employers have received almost £8 million from CITB’s Skills and Training fund – a 40% annual increase.

CITB’s short course grant scheme supported 6,600 businesses, mainly SMEs, with their core training requirements.

The appetite for apprenticeships remains strong with apprentices supported by CITB funding increasing by 15%, plus a 10% jump in employers accessing grants.

Site Engineer, Ellie Shirley, said: “Working in construction is a very exciting and rewarding career to go into. You get to work with a great variety of people to create something that will benefit society.”

Build Manager, Hayden Wills, added: “The construction industry is a vibrant, exciting industry and is currently increasing its demand for workers. You reap the rewards with competitive wages.”

Construction Careers

Tim Balcon, CITB CEO

CITB Chief Executive, Tim Balcon, said: “With a 45% increase in annual traffic – far above our target – we are reaching a wider, more diverse audience about the many opportunities available in construction.

“Encouragingly, the number of people progressing from Go Construct to Talentview to find a job or apprenticeship has continually grown month-on-month.

“This is further evidence of how Go Construct continues to cement its reputation as the home of reliable, engaging construction careers information.

“We hope to harness this interest to encourage more people into construction-related jobs, directing them to suitable training and apprenticeships, and putting them in touch with employers who are looking to plug their skills gap.”

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