The campaign, which runs until Sunday, focuses this year on the theme ‘Build the Future’. CIHT is using the week to raise awareness about the importance of apprenticeships and showcase some of its up and coming Apprentice Members.

The Institution’s Senior Vice President Deborah Sims commented: “National Apprenticeship Week is a really good way of highlighting just how much talent, enthusiasm and creativity there is among our apprentices.”

She added that it provides a chance for both young people and employers to find out more about the opportunities available through apprenticeships, at a time when not enough apprentices are currently coming through to address the sector’s skills gaps.

“I think there is a lot of encouragement from schools and in some cases from parents for young people to follow the more traditional A-level / degree type route. But a lot more should be looking at the apprenticeship route,” she said, “to get that real life work experience in the industry alongside developing their academic skills”.

One Apprentice Member being showcased by CIHT this week is Mott MacDonald transport planning apprentice Lydia Jennings, who says she enjoys working in the sector because of “the feeling that you are impacting people’s lives in a positive way”.

To view a question and answer profile of Lydia and other CIHT Apprentice Members – and to see more detail of the Institution’s National Apprenticeship Week activity – click here.

Meanwhile major employers including Transport for London, Highways England, High Speed 2 and Network Rail are all undertaking their own activities to mark the week.

TfL is currently searching for 114 new apprentices to start from this September across a range of different roles. It is hosting virtual events including a free apprenticeship fair this week to help young people discover what roles within transport have to offer them.

Prospective apprentices can register for TfL events taking place on Thursday and Friday here.

Highways England has also been running a series of webinars inviting young people to discover what it is like to be an apprentice at the strategic road network operator. Attendees can learn about recruitment opportunities available this year and hear from current and past Highways England apprentices about their experiences. To register for the final event in the series on Friday, click here.

High Speed 2 will be directly recruiting 30 new apprentices to join the business this September and – alongside its supply chain – has been showcasing opportunities available to work on the railway scheme by taking part in a number of local careers fairs, online workshops and live chat sessions aimed at young people this week.

Network Rail is also inviting applications for apprenticeships and is sharing the experiences of apprentices working as engineers on the railway. Anglia route director Ellie Burrows commented: “Apprentices are so important to the business and we get as much from them as they do from us. The scheme offers a great opportunity to gain valuable paid work experience, transferable skills and recognised qualifications in one of Britain’s most exciting industries.”

(Photograph: Network Rail)