Under Construction: The Apprentice Experience

Apprentices - the life blood of our industry, or the soft option?

Apprenticeships divide opinion. For some young people, they are considered the soft option to a university education, and in these tough economic times, some businesses consider them to be an expensive luxury.

CITB-ConstructionSkills has provided essential funding to employers for many years to help them take on apprentices and boost the skills of their businesses. For the training body, apprenticeships are the lifeblood of the construction industry and must be protected at all costs. But what is the reality of apprenticeships and are they viable for businesses in tough market conditions?

As part of National Apprenticeship Week, we followed a number of high profile leaders on their voyage to discover what apprenticeships are really like, whether they really do add value to the industry, and what role they have in helping businesses prepare for the upturn.

In the first of three films, Deputy Chairman of CITB-ConstructionSkills, Judy Lowe becomes an apprentice at Hadley Shopfitters in Portsmouth, a 70 year old shop fitting specialist.

Watch the second Construction Skills Apprentice Experience here

Watch the third Construction Skills Apprentice Experience here