The Chartered Institution of Highways & Transportation (CIHT) is pleased to welcome today’s
announcement that Government plans to create 30,000 apprenticeships in the road and rail sector in the next five years to 2020.
CIHT believes that skills development is a key area of concern for the growth and progression of the highways and transportation industry. This issue was debated at the
CIHT Skills Summit in October 2014 and today’s announcement picks up on actions that CIHT has been calling for since then. This year’s
Skills Summit, which takes place on 21 October in London, will consider not only the industry’s immediate skills but also how those needs are likely to change in the future.
To help deliver the Governments plans, the Secretary of State for Transport, Patrick McLoughlin, announced the appointment of Terry Morgan CBE to develop a transport and infrastructure skills strategy, to help the transport industry ensure a continuous pipeline of skilled workers.
Director of Education & Membership at CIHT, Sue Stevens, said:
“The skills shortage issue is a serious one that has the potential to undermine the Industry’s ability to deliver the key infrastructure projects that are underway or in the pipeline, as well as the on-going maintenance work required to keep our transport infrastructure fit for purpose. The development of a transport and infrastructure skills strategy is vital if we are to meet the Government’s infrastructure targets and remain competitive in a global market.”
The transport and infrastructure skills strategy will initially focus on roads and rail and will set out how government will work with its partners, including the supply chain, to make sure we have the right skills in place to deliver the infrastructure and transport services need to drive further economic growth throughout the country.
The strategy will set out how government, its delivery partners and industry will:
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deliver on its ambition for 30,000 apprenticeships in roads and rail over the next five years to 2020, working together with our supply chain partners;
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ensure the right mix of apprenticeships on offer, including many at higher skills levels with training in new technologies;
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explore upskilling the existing workforce to meet the new challenges;
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encourage greater diversity in the workforce, including getting more women into engineering;
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develop a co-ordinated national network of transport infrastructure skills colleges to train the transport workers of the future.
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