Astins supports apprenticeships for the future

Construction company Astins says that apprenticeships are the most promising career path for young people in the UK, investing in the Astins Institute and offering a training programme.

It is estimated that more than 30 per cent of university applicants will be rejected this year but despite this the average debt of university leavers now topping GBP23,000.

Research conducted by construction company Astins has found that more than half of those surveyed, still see full time education followed by university as the best career path for young people.

41 per cent agreed that an apprenticeship sets you up for life, yet only 19 per cent of those interviewed saw this as the path they would most want their children to follow.

The survey compared attitudes to university education, vocational courses at college, a vocational course combined with an apprenticeship, leaving school at 16 years old for a full time job and leaving school at 18 years old for a full time job.

Leaving school at 16 years old for full time employment was least likely to be seen as offering a child the best opportunities in life.

Astins was most interested in parents' attitudes to apprenticeships, recognising the major influence this has on a child's decision-making process.

When asked generally about a route that offered a child the best opportunities in life a vocational course combined with an apprenticeship scored highly, with 31 per cent believing it to be the best.

When quizzed more closely on the specific advice they would offer to their own child, the percentage dropped markedly to only 19 per cent.

Opinions also varied depending on where in the country a person lived.

Perhaps most significant is the varying opinion of different age groups, with those over 45 years old three times more likely to want a child to take a vocational course combined with an apprenticeship than those aged 18-24 years old, with only 7 per cent of this age range feeling that this was the best route.

Respondents were also twice as likely to want a child to take a vocational course combined with an apprenticeship if they held a NVQ, City and Guilds or equivalent or had no qualifications, compared to a degree or higher.

Attitudes towards apprenticeships seemed uninfluenced by whether the participant currently knew someone doing an apprenticeship or not.

To many, a vocational course combined with an apprenticeship was seen as second choice, with 51 per cent of those surveyed suggesting they would recommend this route if the child was not academic enough to go to university.

However, there was some recognition as to the value of apprenticeships, with 76 per cent saying they would recommend this path if a child wanted to learn a specific trade and 17 per cent even citing this as a good route if a child displayed entrepreneurial Astins boasts one of the construction industry's most forward thinking training programmes.

The company puts much emphasis on the importance of investing in people and, in June 2009, invested GBP1million in the Astins Institute.

Each year, the contractor takes on 20 new apprentices, which are from all different backgrounds and work on a number of sites nationwide.

Samantha Paul from London joined Astins as an apprentice in July 2009.

She is a 28-year old single mum, living in Camberwell and had never worked in construction before she joined Astins as an employee.

She is currently working on the refurbishment of the Savoy Hotel in Westminster and is hoping to pass her NVQ two qualification in the middle of 2011.

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