黑洞社区

Government is considering new rules that could force contractors to invest in apprentice training if they are to win public sector contracts.

Public sector procurement has not been sufficiently focused in the past on vocational education and skills, according to Kevin Brennan, Minister of State for Further Education, Apprenticeship Skills and Consumer Affairs at the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.

鈥淚t is a myth that the Government is unable to do anything about procurement because of EU rules,鈥� said Brennan. 鈥淲e can insist on training being a condition of engagement on public sector contracts,鈥� he told an audience at this year鈥檚 Annual Luncheon of the All Party Parliamentary 黑洞社区 Services Engineering Group.

The minister said that he was considering new rules which could be built into all future public sector projects, and which would stress the duty on contractors to invest in the training of apprentices.

The present Government had trebled the number of craft apprentices to 225,000, said Brennan 鈥� claiming that it had 鈥渞escued the apprenticeship scheme鈥�, and promising further to simplify the qualifications system, and to make it more flexible.

In his response on behalf of the industry, Dr Ian Livsey 鈥� chairman of sector skills council SummitSkills 鈥� stressed that building services engineering must be more effectively represented on many matters of national importance.

鈥淭here is no renewables agenda without us,鈥� he told the meeting. 鈥淥ur sector is absolutely vital for skills development.鈥�