As we celebrate National Apprenticeship Week (5th to 11th February 2024), it is an opportune time to reflect on the pivotal role apprenticeships play in shaping the infrastructure workforce. This year’s theme is Skills for Life, which underscores the enduring impact apprenticeships can have on the lives of individuals. On a recent Beyond Brunel podcast, we delved into the benefits of a career in infrastructure, including the importance of apprenticeships, and how we can inspire and encourage the next generation to pursue careers in our industry, fostering a skilled workforce that will drive innovation and progress.
Understanding the Challenge
One of the foremost challenges faced by the infrastructure sector is the struggle to attract young talent. During the podcast, it was made clear that young people have little understanding of infrastructure, the careers that are available to them and the impact those industries have on their everyday lives.
Toby Butler, a degree apprentice with Jacobs, based in Exeter, shared his thoughts:
“I think a lot of younger people don’t really know what infrastructure is. I think my friends probably still don’t fully understand what I do as a job and I think you just don’t realise the importance of infrastructure in terms of how it affects your life and how much you need to have a say in it.”
Another challenge is in making young people aware that apprenticeships exist within these industries on all levels and are not limited to manual construction jobs. Diversity is important. Not only are there hundreds of different types of careers and roles available within infrastructure but a diverse workforce means greater creativity around problem solving and innovation.
Promoting apprenticeships as pathways to success
By highlighting apprenticeships as viable and attractive alternatives to a traditional college or university qualifications, perceptions will change and more young people will embrace this career path.
These benefits include:
Earning while learning
One of the most attractive benefits of doing an apprenticeship is the opportunity to earn a wage while training and gaining valuable skills and forging a good career. This financial incentive can attract young people who might be deterred by student loans and the cost of higher education. It’s not uncommon for higher and degree apprenticeships to offer starting wages that match graduate salaries.
Real-world experience
Apprenticeships offer hands-on, real-world experience that is unparalleled. Young people work alongside professionals, gaining insights that classrooms cannot provide. This immersive learning experience is valuable to both the apprentice and their future employer, who will know that they are employing someone who has been onsite and understands the dynamics of the workplace. Some of the skills for life that apprentices learn along with their hard skills include dynamic problem solving and critical thinking under pressure, effective communication and collaboration, and adaptability and resilience to the ever-changing industry landscape.
Equivalent qualifications
One aspect of apprenticeships that put off many school leavers in the past was the lack of an academic qualification. In the past, a university degree was seen as more important than the hands-on experience. Degree apprenticeships were introduced in 2015 and now higher and degree apprenticeships are equivalent to a higher qualification such as an undergraduate degree, plus the apprentice’s experience is tailored to their chosen industry.
Katie Farrell, Assistant Planner at KierBam JV, was keen to highlight this on Beyond Brunel:
“You come out with exactly the same qualifications at the end of it. So, you can come out with a degree exactly the same as someone else coming straight from university, but you’ve learned on the job and you’ve tailored it to the industry.”
Mentorship and networking
Apprenticeships provide a unique chance for mentorship, as apprentices work closely with experienced professionals who guide them through the intricacies of the job. This mentorship goes beyond technical skills, encompassing valuable soft skills and professional insights. Moreover, the networking opportunities within apprenticeship programmes can open doors to a plethora of future possibilities.
The Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) has plenty of useful information about starting an apprenticeship in civil engineering as a route to professional excellence and a rewarding career.
Inspiring the Future
Finding ways to reach young people and inspire them to pursue a career in infrastructure was one of the key topics of the Beyond Brunel podcast.
Some suggestions included:
- Start going into schools early so that children have a chance to form an opinion around infrastructure and what it means to them, so they’re better equipped to make decisions in their mid-teens.
- Encourage different people to take part in school and career visits. Lou Dawson-Thomas, Head of Apprenticeship Services at AccXel Construction School, stressed the importance of a “collaborative approach between education and industry”. Others talked about ensuring diversity within those visits, such as including women in traditionally male careers and young people who have started on a career path in infrastructure.
- Focus less on traditional routes such as careers fairs and give young people greater access to on-the-ground infrastructure sites and projects.
Social media and digital resources, such as virtual reality, are ideal, according to Katie Farrell:
“When you’re growing up, you’ve never seen past the barriers of a site. So, if you can give someone a taste of what’s happening on the other side of that barrier, you can put on the headset, you can have a walk around, you can see the project in various stages of construction, then you’ve got much more of a tool to tell a young person, this is something you can get involved with. And that can only improve as we get more digital tools developed.”
4. Schools have limited careers resources, so find young people in other places too, such as sports teams and other clubs. This can help with the challenge of encouraging diversity.
5. Environmental engineering student, Azara Kaki from Nepal, stressed the need to connect with people on a personal level and make infrastructure something they care about by highlighting how it touches their everyday lives. This was reiterated by Christopher Middleton who went into engineering because of his environmentalism and desire to make a difference.
As Lou Dawson-Thomas pointed out, “construction is about leaving a legacy” and that’s important to many young people, they simply need to know the best routes to take to achieve it. For many, that will be an apprenticeship.
Skills for Life
Apprenticeships are very much about skills for life and no more so than in infrastructure industries where skilled workers are in high demand across many diverse areas. That demand is predicted to continue growing in the South West as well as nationally and internationally as the drive for sustainable infrastructure develops. Our challenge is to inspire young people to choose these industries and provide the pathways to successful and fulfilling careers, so that we build a workforce that not only drives innovation but is equipped for the challenges of tomorrow.
Listen to the latest episode of Beyond Brunel with guests discussing more aspects of apprenticeships and how we engage the citizens of tomorrow in infrastructure careers and development.