The government has announced they’ve hit their target of starting two million apprenticeships during this Parliamentary term.


The Business Secretary Vince Cable made the announcement when meeting with the two millionth apprentice, Paige McConville aged 16 in Oxford, who has started at a high-tech engineering firm FMB Oxford and who will be working towards an advanced apprenticeship in engineering manufacture.


Cable said: “This isn’t just about numbers. From space engineering, to TV production, to legal services, apprenticeships are the ticket to a great job and a route employers trust to access the skills they need.”


Cable also announced 22 new employer designed apprenticeship courses of which 9 where construction orientated, including:


Construction Assembly Technician
Construction Quantity Surveyor
Construction Design Manager
Construction Management
Building Service Engineer Site Manager
Civil Engineering Site Manager
Highway Electrical - Maintenance & Installation
Highways Maintenance Supervision
Highways Maintenance Skilled Operative


A number of companies have signed up as trailblazers to deliver the apprenticeship programs. One such company is Costain whose group training manager Jayne Sloan said: “The trailblazer apprenticeships give us the opportunity to ensure apprenticeships are fit for purpose and provide our industry with the skills needed for the future.”