Technology and construction specialists are among London’s worst firms for recruiting apprentices
London's technology and construction firms are the among the capital's worst employers for recruiting apprentices, according to a new report.
The capital’s construction businesses recruit fewer apprentices than those in any other part of the country, while the growth of sites like Silicon Roundabout hasn’t been enough to stop the tech sector becoming the London’s second worst sector for apprenticeship starts.
The city’s burgeoning high-tech employers recruit fewer than 0.4 apprentices for every 100 employees.
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The London Assembly’s economy committee has called for City Hall to intervene by demanding more transparency on the numbers of fresh recruits who complete their training, with data broken down by age, gender, disability, ethnicity, sector and qualification.
In particular, assembly members raised concerns that minority groups and women are being clustered in to low level, and low pay schemes.
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Fiona Twycross AM, chair of the Assembly's economy committee, said: “Quality not quantity is needed when it comes to apprenticeships in London.
“To deal with a worsening skills gap and the likely impact of Brexit, we must better train our young people, especially women and those from a Black Asian and Minority Ethnic background, so they are ready for jobs in London's key sectors such as tech and construction.”