Colleges team up to help Carillion apprentices

Carillion apprentices have been offered help from colleges including Fareham College after the firm went bust Picture: Joe Giddens/PA Wire

Fareham College is one of those across the south that are working together to create a Solent hub to help apprentices find colleges and or new employers.

It’s a joint project with the Solent Local Enterprise Partnership and comes after Carillion, which is the largest UK employer of construction apprentices, went into liquidation on Monday.

Fareham College principal Nigel Duncan said: ‘It is so important that these apprentices find new jobs or providers as if they have to wait a year or so then they may forget what they have learnt and the gap does not look good on their CVs.

Fareham College principal Nigel Duncan
Picture: Chris Russell — Fareham College principal Nigel Duncan Picture: Chris Russell

‘In the south Carillion employs about 106 apprentices so we need to make sure those people are not sat at home wondering what to do.’

It comes after the Department of Education and the Construction Industry Training Board started to get in touch with apprentices across the country.

A Department for Education spokesperson said: ‘We have taken steps to protect learners by transferring the training of Carillion apprentices to the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB), and we are grateful to CITB for helping us ensure learners can continue to gain the skills they need.

‘We will continue to work closely with the CITB to support apprentices to remain in existing placements or to find new employment with other local organisations so they can complete their training.’

CITB hopes to start placing the first apprentices with new employers as early as next week.

Chief executive Sarah Beale said: ‘We understand it’s a very worrying time for the young people who were on the Carillion apprenticeship programme, but we can help them restart their training and get their careers back on track if they get in touch with us.

‘Our industry needs the skills these young people are developing and we want to help them find new employers and get their qualifications.

‘At CITB, we are committed to doing everything we can to help the former Carillion apprentices, and hope to see many of them restarting their careers very soon.’

For support from CITB email [email protected]