CITB-ConstructionSkills, the leading sector skills council and construction industry training board, has announced that the total number of new apprentices coming into the industry under their managing agency increased by 15% in 2012 compared to 2011.

The industry body oversaw 1,269 new starts entering the sector in Scotland 2012, with an additional 247 people restarting their apprenticeship, taking the total number of apprentices joining the sector to 1,516.

With 2012 widely reported as a challenging year for construction due to public sector spending cuts and lack of investment in the private sector, the industry was still able to look to requirements for the future and take on 15% more new entrants than in 2011.

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In addition to this positive recruitment trend, there was also a marked decrease of 34% in the number of apprenticeship restarts, which would suggest the worst is over in terms of redundant apprentices. CITB-ConstructionSkills has successfully restarted some 80% of apprenticeship placements since the start of the economic downturn.

Graeme Ogilvy, Scotland Director of CITB-ConstructionSkills, said: "It is very positive to be able to highlight the number of apprentices in Scotland increasing during 2012. Whilst working through a recession has been a traumatic experience for the industry and its staff, we have to look positively at the future and ensure that appropriate skills are developed to meet upcoming demand.

"Prospects for output in Scotland’s construction industry should improve and from now until 2017, growth is anticipated to increase 1.1% annually over the period. Scotland’s annual construction recruitment requirement for the five years stands at 2,800 and we therefore have to continue to recruit apprentices into a variety of roles to develop their skills and experiences, otherwise we will be left with an increasing skills shortage when the industry returns to growth."

(GK)