ICOM urges apprentice route to starting career
Rather than young people embarking on expensive university courses, ICOM’s (Industrial & Commercial Energy Association) director Ross Anderson suggests that they earn while they learn with an apprenticeship that provides on-the-job training and work experience for real jobs.
He says, ‘The building-services industry needs engineers that can design, install and service the equipment and systems found in commercial and industrial buildings. We have a very skilled but aging workforce, and we need to attract young people into the sector or very soon we will be facing serious skills shortages.’
He continues, ‘Unfortunately our industry is often seen as unattractive and dirty, when the reality is quite different. There are lots of opportunities within this sector and scope for career progression. We need schools, careers officers and, indeed, parents to promote apprenticeships as a positive alternative to university rather than the “poor relation”.’
According to a recent report from the Institute for Public Policy Research, 123 000 people were trained in the construction and engineering sectors for an advertised 275 000 jobs — over two vacancies for every person trained.
Ross Anderson says, ‘We need young people to start choosing apprenticeships that will offer a healthy and rewarding career.’
