Apprentices from across Scotland are calling on people to get behind a campaign to save jobs and skills in the building industry.

The young trainees are urging Scots to support the Repairing Scotland drive spearheaded by building firm Rok, to get the UK Government to cut VAT on repair and maintenance work to 5%. The move would safeguard jobs and skills by making renovation work more affordable.

An e-petition seeking as many signatures as possible closes in just two weeks’ time. The campaign has already received top-level support from Scottish Government ministers.

Edinburgh-based apprentice plasterer Barry Comrie (20) said: "I started training to become a plasterer because it’s a good trade and there’s usually plenty of demand. But in the past year or so it’s definitely been pretty tough and I know of quite a few people who’ve been laid off because there’s not enough work around.

"Although I’m pretty secure in my apprenticeship right now, the state of the economy and everything does make you worry a wee bit about the future.

"The Repairing Scotland campaign is a really good idea and could make a big difference, because if there’s more work around it’ll keep more people in jobs."

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Oliver Moffat (20), a third-year apprentice painter and decorator from Inverness, said: "I thought to myself when I left school that I was good with practical stuff, so it made perfect sense to train for a trade.

"Of course, since then the economy has taken a turn for the worse and to be honest, it’s been pretty bleak, but we’re fighting on. When I started my apprenticeship I was with a one-man-band, but that ended and I think the financial pressure on him was a big part of that."

He said the Repairing Scotland campaign was a "brilliant" idea.

"Any measures that can be taken to get young guys and girls into jobs are worth a try."

Glasgow-based apprentice painter and decorator Andrew Porter (20) said: "The recession has definitely had an impact - I was moved temporarily from the Glasgow office to Ayrshire because there wasn’t enough work for all of the apprentices. In the second half of 2009 work dried up drastically and it’s really only picked up recently because of the bad weather, because of the extra floods caused by burst pipes.

"The Repairing Scotland campaign is definitely a good idea – it’d be good for business and would really help the industry generally."

Daniel Hutton, a 20-year-old apprentice joiner from Dundee said: "I got laid off by my first employer just as I was about to start the third year of my apprenticeship and I got really worried I wouldn’t be able to finish it.

"Luckily, Rok were just starting up in Dundee and I got a job with them which has helped me keep my skills up. They’ve also helped fund my advanced craft course at Dundee Technical College, so it’s really been good for my development.

"I think the VAT cut could help to get a lot of people started on their apprenticeships and get a lot of qualified people starting up in Scotland rather than going abroad to look for work. It would keep a lot of people in jobs and if they know they have prospects, they can plan for the future."

Rok is aiming to get 10,000 signatures by April 14 on its Downing Street e-petition at petitions.number10.gov.uk/repairingbritain/

(GK)