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National Apprenticeship Week promotes new initiative for 2025
Skills for Life is the theme of this year’s National Apprenticeship Week (NAW).
Taking place between February 10th and 16th, the programme highlights the positive impact apprenticeships have on individuals, businesses and the wider community.
Stuart Russell, Commercial Manager at CPI EuroMix said initiatives such as NAW were important to addressing the construction skills gap. “We welcome programmes that promote opportunities for youngsters in the construction industry. This is a great sector to work in. Helping to build the infrastructure that is so integral to our towns and cities inspires a real sense of personal satisfaction and reward. In support of campaigns such as NAW, those of us working in the industry need to amplify the message that construction has much to offer a new generation of trades people.”
The latest Construction Skills Network report estimates an additional 251,500 construction workers are needed by 2028 to fulfil UK building projects. Following a decline in UK building employment in 2023 and 2024, a growth in recruitment is anticipated for 2025.
National Apprenticeship Week includes a host of online employer events. From tech to accountancy, construction to automotive, engineering to healthcare; the presentations are a chance to engage with potential employers, access application advice and take part in live Q&A events with industry experts.
CPI offers a range of in-house training opportunities across its nine UK sites. For colleagues, it is a chance to enhance skills required in their current role, as well as broaden their horizons by experiencing new technologies and trades that support all-round career development. CPI Sales Representative, Ashley Smith, recently started an Artificial Intelligence (AI) apprenticeship. He said embarking on the training scheme filled him with ‘excitement and anticipation’, adding: “The world is ever evolving, and artificial intelligence represents not just the future, but a shift in how we interact with technology and society to enhance our daily lives. I have a limited background in this subject, so I’m looking forward to learning how I can use newly learnt skills to improve my efficiency and performance both in and out of my job role. I can’t wait to get stuck in!”
CPI Communication and Engagement Manager, Pen Le Kelly is on a level 5 Women in Leadership apprenticeship. She said the programme’s wider significance had personal and professional benefits. “While the apprenticeship follows the course requirements of the Operational and Departmental Management course, it has the added bonus of learning about the challenges women can face in leadership roles and how to overcome them. I’m nine months into this 18-month course and learning a lot of useful ideas I can bring to my role in CPI.”
In terms of supporting external apprenticeship schemes, CPI donates silos of quality training mortar to colleges. It has a silo cited at Hertford Regional College, which supplies lime sand training mortar for bricklaying apprentices. CPI supplies the same material for the Guild of Bricklayers in support of its regional apprentice competitions. In addition, CPI has dry mortar silos based at NHBC-run training hubs in Tamworth and Cambridge.
Stuart Russell continued: “The construction industry urgently needs to attract a new generation of skilled workers. In doing so, it’s important to remember that as well as being a great opportunity for trainees, apprenticeships benefit the employer in so many ways. Trainees bring new ideas, new attitudes and energy to the workplace. They are the future and with our support, they must feel empowered to lead construction’s evolution as a smarter, more sustainable industry as the century progresses.”
For more information on National Apprenticeship Week, visit: naw.appawards.co.uk
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