AST Trust update

A bumpy road ahead

I think it’s fair to say that a few weeks post-lockdown, we still haven’t felt the full impact of the economic shutdown. While businesses are still trying to manage wage subsidies, business grants and other ways to support their operations, the training sector is starting to see a delayed effect, with some apprentice redundancies, and withdrawals from full-time programmes.

Organisations involved in training have been working together to identify ways to retain and support these trainees; many of them have made a sound start to their construction careers, and the industry needs these people to continue training. A Construction and Infrastructure COVID Skills Response group has been established to identify how these trainees can be retained, and possibly continue some training, while businesses and the industry come right. The group includes representatives from Industry Training Providers (ITPs), Building and Construction Industry Training Organisation (BCITO), Connexis (Infrastructure ITO), and Skills.Org (ITO for Electrical, Plumbing, and Scaffolding, among others). It is hoped that a training framework and plan will be established very soon, which should be of comfort to the trainees, and the employers who have committed to their training too.

A number of funds are becoming available to support trainees and employers alike. There are too many to list here, but they include the Targeted Training and Apprentice Fund (TTAF) – essentially zero-fees for trainees in their first or second year, whether they are doing full time study or an apprenticeship.

Also being rolled out is the Apprenticeship Support Programme (ASP), which will help employers retain current apprentices, and/or take on new ones. Details are now starting to emerge on criteria, and applications processes.

A number of funds are becoming available to support trainees and employers alike.

All of this support could be seen as comparable to what we’ve been striving for with the Apprenticeship Scholarship Trust (AST) over the years, albeit on a much larger scale, and with government backing. We will continue to provide specific support as and when needed for apprentices in the Industry Training Association Building (ITAB) partnership – a recent example involved support for an apprentice with reduced hours, but is still going to block courses.

Let’s hope these support initiatives, and a continued commitment from industry, contribute to a more positive second half of the year.