Apprentices could suffer if major building work is delayed
POTENTIAL delays to major construction projects, particularly those being driven by the States, will have a big impact on apprentices in the building industry, it has been claimed.
Both the Les Ozouets post-16 campus and the modernisation project at the Princess Elizabeth Hospital have currently been put on hold, pending a further review in September which will decide what goes ahead, what is delayed and what is cancelled – and how they will be paid for.
Guernsey Construction Forum chairman John Bampkin has expressed his concerns on the negative impact this would have on the construction trade, and how it would leave apprentices uncertain about their futures.
‘It takes many years to train people adequately in their trade, whether that is via the apprentice route or otherwise, and some advanced knowledge and confidence in the planned schedule of major projects would be a huge advantage,’ he said.
‘Now we have a whole industry that cannot plan their intake of trainees and apprentices or workforce for fear of a diminished future workload.’
He added that this would create an imbalance in the supply and demand within the industry, and stop local construction businesses from operating efficiently and effectively.
The construction sector currently accounts for 61% of the total apprentices studying at the Guernsey Institute, with the figure nearing 200. Construction apprenticeships reached a peak at 220 after the post-Covid recovery.
But the industry is estimated to have lost some 700 staff over the past three years – declining from 3,000 to 2,300 people.
TGI director of apprenticeships Chris Torode said this problem would only worsen with more delays.
‘The slowing of capital programmes is likely to have some impact on the number of opportunities for apprentices in the construction sector,’ he said.
‘The smoothing of construction projects allows employers to work in partnership with The Guernsey Institute as the training provider, to strategically identify workforce recruitment and training requirements, recognising that apprentices are a positive contributor to GDP, while ensuring the correct skills are developed to meet the island’s needs.’
The Construction Forum has also warned that added costs and avoidable inefficiencies would be inevitable with a delay to major projects, as the construction industry has seen almost 20% inflation per year since Covid.
