Technical Apprenticeships Needed More than Degrees

_{by Tony McDonough}   

As she opens a multi-million pound academy for construction skills, City of Liverpool College CEO Elaine Bowker says too many parents are still pushing their kids to university instead of technical apprenticeships. Liverpool Waters is one of the biggest development sites in Europe and on the Liverpool/Sefton border there are plans to create a New Town with 10,000 new homes (despite lack of Government backing).

This means demand for construction and technical skills is surging and why the City of Liverpool College has opened its new multi-million pound academy for construction skills at Collingwood Dock within Liverpool Waters, close to the new Hill Dickinson Stadium.

And not a moment too soon. According to the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) an additional 251,500 workers are needed across the UK by 2028 to meet demand. And yet…

Many parents still view ‘vocation vocation vocation’ as an inferior choice, one for the kids who just didn’t cut it academically at school and instead should just choose a career where “they can do something with their hands”. And their children are taking a similar view.

A survey of 5,000 A Level students carried out by careers specialist Prospect found 12% of school and college students would like to do an apprenticeship, while 60% were hoping to go to university. Almost half view apprenticeships as second-rate to university.

Yet the rapid rise of artificial intelligence is eating into traditional white collar professions such as law or accountancy much more quickly than jobs in areas such as engineering and construction.

In his speech to the Labour Party Conference in Liverpool Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer signalled a shift in Government policy, and said he was looking to prioritise vocational training and apprenticeships over higher education. This announcement was backed by local businesses.

City of Liverpool College chief executive and principal Elaine Bowker believes the new academy on the banks of the River Mersey is offering careers that stand a much greater chance of being future-proofed.

She said: “Sadly, I still think parents who care deeply about their children still give a lot of bad advice. They tell their children ‘get as many GCSEs as you can, get your A Levels and then go to university. We hear that every day.

“But the economy has changed so much and it is actually people who choose technical skills who are getting their first-choice jobs. The economy is geared up towards technical and professional level 3, 4 skills and that is where we operate.

“Automation and AI means there are fewer jobs in some sectors so we are seeing more students who want to set up their own businesses. That is what we are geared towards and there are skills that are very difficult to replace with AI.”

This new academy will cater for 600 students a year. It will provide training programmes and apprenticeships for people wishing to enter the construction industry as well as those wishing to upskill.

It will focus on three priority skills areas: green technologies in construction; retrofit skills for existing housing stock and; skills for new homebuilding.

In the first year the college will deliver full-time programmes in construction multi-skills, bricklaying and carpentry and joinery.

There will also be apprenticeships in carpentry and joinery and plastering; part-time adult training programmes in solar PV, retrofit assessment and advice and more. It will also run skills bootcamps in green skills and retrofit.

There are three large 1,600 sq ft purpose-built workshops – with each accommodating different specialisms including brickwork, carpentry and joinery and plastering, as well as dedicated spaces for solar, modern methods of construction.

A dedicated Green Skills training centre will also see students working alongside energy companies based on site including First Utility and Tomato Energy and teachers to do real construction work including installing solar panels and ground source heat pumps.

Six 28-seater classrooms used for construction courses alongside other subjects such as maths and English. The site is accessible and wheelchair-friendly with a pedestrian route throughout.