Increased funding for trainee engineers

The increase is the government’s initial response to recommendations made in the Gibson Review of Engineering Construction, a study of productivity and skills in the sector carried out by a former director general of the department for business Mark Gibson.

The report presented the need to increase the number of trainees and focus on a move to low-carbon sources of energy.

As well as committed to the increased funding, the government has announced:

• Plans to work with the Engineering Construction Industry Training Board (ECITB) to ensure the sector’s training levy is fairly applied across all firms, including non-UK firms
• The creation of a cross-industry body to promote change in the sector chaired by Ian Marchant, chief executive of Scottish and Southern Energy

Lord Mandelson, secretary of state for business, said: ‘The engineering construction sector employs up to 60,000 people in the UK. This new investment means that more home grown workers will be provided with the skills and experience needed for them to take the work opportunities that designing, building and maintaining the wave of new investment the country needs in power stations and energy infrastructure.’

David Edwards, chief executive of the ECITB, welcomed the funding programme. He said: ‘It signals the importance of the industry to the UK economy and gives a platform to increase the rate of training of apprentices and engineers to meet future demand.’

The full Gibson Review can be downloaded from the website of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.