O'Rourke has linked up with ConstructionSkills to enlist another 200 appprentices by later this year followed by a further 800 through initiatives with its supply chain partners.
Chairman and chief excutive Ray O’Rourke said: "As a group, we have a clear vision to challenge and change the image of construction.
“We see the current economic backdrop as a time to identify opportunities – and there is no better time and opportunity than now to invest in the future, and bring about long-term transformation of skills capability in this industry”.
Recruits to Laing O’Rourke’s Apprenticeship Plus – a full-time skills and learning programme – will learn through a mix of practical skills training and formal industry education in all aspects of modern engineering, manufacturing and constructing. This will be an accredited programme lasting four years.ADVERTISEMENT
ConstructionSkills’ Chief Executive, Mark Farrar, said: “In our role as a leading Sector Skills Council, we are looking strategically at the long-term future of apprenticeships to ensure they support the industry’s future skills needs. This joint venture with Laing O’Rourke is one of the first tangible outcomes of this work, and we anticipate it will deliver tailor-made new recruits which meet their requirements.
“Laing O’Rourke has a long track record of delivering on its commitments to skills in this industry and this announcement is a welcome and timely boost to this important agenda”.
Paddy O’Rourke, Laing O’Rourke’s Director of Education, said it was “vitally important” Laing O’Rourke kept its focus on developing talent for the future. He said: “The aim is to build both capability and capacity in construction, training people in the crafts for the construction industry of the future.
“We value our relationships with our supply chain partners and others, particularly those who have adopted our strategic partnership approach вЂBuilding Constructive Relationships’.
“We have been collaborating with the team at ConstructionSkills for some time, and all of us are driving forward to ensure we deliver on our commitments to the talent of tomorrow. There is no wiser investment”.
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