CEO of the British Institute of Kitchen, Bedroom & Bathroom Installation (BiKBBI) Damian Walters responded to the UK Government’s announcement on its commitment to apprenticeships.

It follows new research which shows apprenticeships contribute £25bn to England’s economy.

In 2018, research suggested apprentices in England contributed £14bn of economic growth over their lifetime and new figures, announced during National Apprenticeships Week, revealed this number has almost doubled to £25bn.

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BiKBBI says it demonstrates the importance of apprentices in the Government’s mission to grow the economy.

New measures under the reform include the introduction of new apprenticeships, a boost in flexibility for employers around English and Maths qualifications, a cut in the minimum duration of apprenticeships to get ‘boots on the ground’ quicker and the launch of a ‘one stop shop’ app to help apprentices access training and support.

Education Secretary, Bridget Phillipson said “We need to take skills seriously as a country again, and the measures we’ve taken this week to slash red tape and boost the number of apprentices, show how we will deliver on this and break down the barriers to opportunity for our young people.”

While BiKBBI welcomes reform, CEO Damian Walters urged the Government to take measures to encourage the thousands of micro-SMEs operating in the UK to take on an apprentice.

“Reform is well overdue and therefore it is welcome” commented Walters “but there remains much to do to overcome the challenges that micro-SMEs face when taking on an apprentice.

“This is a major barrier, particularly in the home improvement sector, where the majority of the workforce are sole traders and micro-SMEs.

“The current (and aging) workforce is the key to solving the skills shortage and building a sustainable future workforce for the fitted furniture sector and, unless the Government can do more to accommodate the needs of the thousands of micro and small businesses which make up 99.8% of the UK business population, apprenticeships cannot work for our sector.

“It’s the reason they haven’t worked for the past decade, and unless there is reform in this area, nothing will change going forward”