Construction firms in Scotland are being urged to take on and train apprentices to help survive the economic downturn.

With additional funding announced last week by the Scottish Government for employers who take on displaced apprentices, ConstructionSkills, the Sector Skills Council for the construction industry, is advising employers across the region to continue to take on apprentices in order to remain competitive and be in the strongest possible position when the upturn begins.

In Scotland, 4,103 applications for apprenticeships have been received to date with only 408 employer vacancies offered, but with 114 employers and apprentices having been matched to date.

With more and more construction firms bidding for public sector work - which is forecast to remain stable over the next few years relative to other sectors - those who employ apprentices could have a major advantage.

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The Office of Government Commerce's (OGC) new guidelines for public sector procurement, published in April 2009, state that contractors who can demonstrate a commitment to skills and training may be the preferred choice to take on work as part of the Government's £7bn annual spend. Major contractors in turn will be looking to their supply chain partners to help meet these requirements.

ConstructionSkills wants companies of all sizes to recognise the business benefits of apprentices and to commit to helping young people enter the industry to avoid losing valuable skills and talent to other sectors.

As well as putting firms in good position to win public sector contracts, apprentices and other trainees can have immediate and low-cost benefits for firms. Apprentices taken on now will be trained in time for the predicted upturn in demand for construction services by 2011.

The most recent published forecasts, from the Construction Skills Network (CSN), reveal two distinct phases for the industry: one of recession (through 2009 and into 2011) and one of gradual recovery (from 2011 to 2013).

ConstructionSkills Apprenticeships Manager for Scotland South, Hugh McCafferty, said: "Taking on an apprentice may feel like the last thing on your mind at the moment. However, when times are tough, competition for contracts is even tougher. That's when a well-trained, extra pair of hands could make a real difference to your chances.

"By offering a flexible resource that can help your business grow, an apprentice could be the best investment your business ever makes."

(GK/JM)