The Scottish construction industry looks set to suffer a further significant drop in the number of construction apprentices in training this year.

That's according to the latest quarterly survey of Scottish construction industry employers, published by the Scottish Building Federation (SBF).

Against a background where the Scottish Government's target of delivering more than 18,500 Modern Apprenticeships has already been met, (see: Modern Apprenticeships Targets Reached) the sector is experiencing continued uncertainty about the outlook for 2010 and beyond, the survey suggests that further reductions in capacity can be expected this year but that these will hit apprentices particularly hard.

The survey found that 24% of firms expect to have to reduce the size of their workforce in the course of 2010.

Meanwhile, a quarter of those firms responding to the survey said they expected to employ fewer apprentices this year, but almost half anticipated being unable to employ any. Taken together, responses to the survey suggest that the number of apprentices in training this year could fall by a staggering 51%. The news follows figures previously released by the SBF, indicating that more than 1,000 construction apprentices lost their jobs in 2009.


Although still poor, general industry confidence has been slowly recovering since the end of 2008. But the latest survey found that, for the first time since then, the sector’s overall confidence rating has actually deteriorated compared to the previous quarter, slipping from MINUS 20 to MINUS 21.

Commenting on the survey results, SBF Chief Executive Michael Levack said: "This latest survey of our membership emphasises that, in terms of recovery, Scottish construction still has a very long way to go. Since the beginning of 2008, we estimate more than 30,000 jobs have been lost from the industry. Our members are warning us to expect further job losses in 2010.

"Most worrying of all is the huge impact these continuing challenges are having on apprentice workers looking to pursue a career in construction. With the number of apprentices in training expected to fall by more than half this year, many trainees will be forced to leave the industry for good – and many more young people will be put off taking up a career in construction in the first place.

"That’s an absolute tragedy not just for our industry but for modern apprenticeships in Scotland more generally, almost half of which have traditionally been undertaken in the construction industry and associated trades."

Mr Levack reiterated previous calls for reinforced Government action to support the construction industry: "Our message is clear: Invest in the industry now or face a major shortage in skills and capacity and chronic cost inflation when the sector eventually does recover."

(GK/BMcC)