Liverpool Apprenticeship Partnership begins this autumn and is the brainchild of Mr Hunt, founder and managing director of mechanical and electrical engineering consultancy Steven Hunt & Associates
Merseyside construction industry entrepreneur Steve Hunt is launching a new training scheme that aims to bring more young people into the sector – and is appealing for other firms to the part.
Liverpool Apprenticeship Partnership (LAP) begins this autumn and is the brainchild of Mr Hunt, founder and managing director of mechanical and electrical engineering consultancy Steven Hunt & Associates.
Being run in partnership with Liverpool John Moores University, the initial pilot will see ix students from the region embarking on a 24 month placement programme, each spending two months across professions of the built environment including structural engineers, quantity surveyors, M&E engineers, architects and main contractors.
At the end of the programme the students can choose which profession most suits and specialise in this discipline embarking then on a full degree apprenticeship in their chosen profession.
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Announcing the programme at the MIPIM property expo in Cannes, Mr Hunt appealed for other firms to get involved. He said: “We are seeking partners to combat the skills crisis head on.
“By helping apprentices gain first-hand experience of a multidisciplinary approach that is required in the construction process which makes our training much more effective and work ready recruits at the end of the process.”
His industry call to action comes at a time when the demand for construction workers is greater than ever. A new report from the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) forecasts that the sector will see an average growth of 1.3% over the next five years which will result in a significant increase in demand for skilled workers.
It has been calculated that an extra 158,000 new construction jobs will have to be created by 2022 to meet this growth. The report goes on to identify the North West as the region that will see the biggest increased demand for jobs, with over 5,000 additional recruits needed in the region to meet the demand.
Mr Hunt added: “We are not doing nearly enough to get more people into the industry to meet the current demand for skills and this is only set to get worse. Many in the industry have been blind to the impact this will have on the sector in the very near future.
“This is a direct consequence of the last financial downturn affecting construction, the legacy of which means that we all have a real issue both in apprentice level and mid management. It is our responsibility to help more young people get into the wide range of trades and the private sector simply has to step up.
Companies interested in being part of the LAP are being invited to get involved and help provide this new framework for learning. Steven Hunt & Associates is hosting an open day on March 26 at 3pm in its offices in Speke with all interested parties welcome.