The Chartered Surveyors Training Trust has hiked the cost to employers for taking on trainees by two-thirds, amid concerns over funding.

The decision to raise the employers’ fees from £3,000 to £5,000 per trainee came in response to the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) slashing its contribution to the training body from £10,033 to £4,850 per trainee since 2005. The CSTT relies on government support for a quarter of its budget.

Roger Southam, CSTT’s chairman, said: “Since September last year we’ve been leading a hand-to-mouth existence.

Through the government shifting its goalposts, the LSC has had to review our funding downwards.”

The CSTT training scheme is designed for people over the age of 16. Last year, it attracted 400 applicants and placed 50.

Stephen Hateley, a director at Faithful + Gould, said it would be difficult to still take on trainees if the increases continued.

The hikes are part of a three-year plan the CSTT has drawn up to allow it to survive without government funding.

Postscript

The LSC was not available for comment.