Poole boss advises government on how to increase number of apprenticeships

Maria Seabright, finance and HR director at Greendale Construction, spent an hour giving evidence at the cross-party Commission on apprenticeships.

She said afterwards: “I explained that there is a massive shortfall in the grants received and the actual cost of training someone over two to three years. “At Greendale, we do not take on apprentices solely due to the grants available.

“We see apprenticeships as helping to train for the future of the construction industry as a whole, and that is a huge investment for the industry and the country, not just Greendale.

“I also talked about the current challenges of engaging an apprentice – saying that some companies are unsure of the future and that’s why they are not taking on apprentices.

“I explained the importance of having the right mentor – which is proving to be hard as we have an ageing workforce within the construction industry.” She said the industry had moved on from ‘the days when it was just seen as the place to push less academic students’.

“The construction industry now offers career opportunities across all academic and skill levels, as well as the ability to work your way up gaining experience as you go.

“I also expressed how important it was for young people to gain site experience outside of the classroom,” she added.

The commission is co-chaired by MP Robert Halfon and Lord Glasman and the session was observed by representatives of the Federation of Master Builders and Construction Industry Training Board.

Ms Seabright said: “It was a privilege to be selected to give evidence at the commission and although it was a rather intensive session, I thoroughly enjoyed the experience.

“Afterwards, Lord Glasman came up to thank me personally and said how my passion for the industry really shone through in everything I said.”

The commission is due to carry out case study visits across the UK as well as opinion polling about perceptions of the sector and apprenticeships.