British construction and infrastructure firm Balfour Beatty has announced that it intends to boost its trainee, graduate and apprenticeship programmes as they vow to stimulate the youth labour market.
Credit: Balfour Beatty
They claim they will see a 30% increase in its recruitment levels in these fields in comparison to its 2019 levels as they strive to tackle youth unemployment in the UK.
As a part of the 5% Club - a loose collection of employers committed to 'earn & learn' roles for young people who want to complete further education programmes while earning vital experience in a given field - Balfour has already pledged to dedicate 5% of its workforce to its training and apprenticeship schemes.
According to the company's official 2019 numbers, their job intake in these fields stood at 89 graduates, 119 apprentices and 26 trainees, intending to increase these numbers to 118, 160 and 29, respectively.
Youth unemployment in Britain has always been a heated topic for politicians and the press, and the effects of the coronavirus pandemic have had serious consequences on the UK labour market for all age brackets.
According to official government statistics, the number of people aged between the ages 16-24 claiming unemployment-related benefits shot up by 124% in August, compared to the previous quarter. This comes as nearly 700,000 jobs were lost between March and August due to the effects the virus has had on many of the nation's most active sectors.
Balfour's actions follow a letter sent by CEO Leo Quinn earlier this year hoping to galvanise support against youth unemployment and shore up opportunities for people looking to get into trainee, graduate or apprenticeship schemes.
Mr Quinn said: "The economic fallout from Covid-19 will cast a long and damaging shadow over today's young if we do not act. Swathes of young people face an uncertain future as businesses define theirs. Yet amongst this turmoil, we mustn't lose sight of the fact that those most at risk of losing their chance to build skilled careers are critical to helping us rebuild the economy - and our society - as me emerge from the crisis.
"For the construction and infrastructure industry, we must make sure we continue to bring in and develop new talent to secure the skills and capability essential to the successful delivery of the government's ambitious plans for infrastructure investment.
"The country's future will be decided by the choices we make today: I urge all employers to hold to their original training plans. We must not let down an entire generation."
Gillian Keegan, Apprenticeship and Skills Minister, said: "There has never been a more critical time to invest in new talent and help create more job opportunities. Apprenticeships are a brilliant way to get ahead in a wide range of exciting opportunities and will also play a vital role in delivering the skills our economy needs to grow after coronavirus.
"I very much welcome this fantastic pledge from Balfour Beatty. I really hope it encourages more businesses to consider offering more young people the opportunity to gain the skills, experience and confidence they need to get on the path to a great career.
"To support this, we are offering all employers £2000 (€2197) for each new apprentice they hire aged under 25 and £1500 (€1648) for apprentices aged 25 and over.
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