BSRIA is celebrating National Apprenticeship Week (NAW 2017) which brings together employers and apprentices from across England to celebrate the success of apprenticeships.

Chief executive, Julia Evans, said: “With the proposed government housing targets of between 225,000 to 275,000 (or more) new homes per year which will be needed to keep up with population growth and years of under-supply – which could translate into almost one million new homes built by 2020 – construction and engineering apprentices are crucial.

“Indeed, apprenticeships are essential for up-and-coming builders to get into the workplace: we hope this week can highlight the importance of such vital trades.”

She continued: “We need to change the image of our industry and make it a more attractive career proposition. Government can certainly help industry to communicate better to make engineering more exciting. Maybe we need to move the focus away from one of being a ‘construction industry’ to one focused on ‘the built environment’.

“Undeniably, one of the major threats to the government’s infrastructure plans is the skills shortage in construction. And the need to stem the skills gap and attract more people into construction careers is more essential than ever since Brexit, as many of BSRIA’s members – and the wider industry – rely on skilled workers from Europe.”

Ms Evans added: “An apprenticeship can take you anywhere and young people, engineers and entrepreneurs alike can rise to the top through traineeships and apprenticeships.”

The spirit of NAW 2017 fits in well with BSRIA’s current INSPIRE project which is working with local schools, national and local politicians and the media to promote STEM and change its perceptions.