Ofqual warned of ‘adverse effect’ of Carillion collapse on apprentices

Awarding body NOCN and the CITB pledge to work with apprentices affected by the collapse of construction giant Carillion
23rd January 2018, 3:43pm

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Ofqual warned of ‘adverse effect’ of Carillion collapse on apprentices

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Apprentices affected by the collapse of Carillion will be helped to find new employers and training providers.

The move comes after one of the country’s leading apprenticeship-awarding organisations issued a warning to Ofqual about the potential “adverse effect” the construction giant’s demise could have on its learners. Carillion, which is the second biggest construction firm in the country, went into liquidation last week after getting into financial difficulties.

The government, through the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA), has asked the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) to find employers and new training providers specifically for 1,400 of Carillion’s construction apprentices.

NOCN will also help Carillion apprentices to complete their training. The group now includes CSkills, which it recently acquired from CITB, so the total number of learners registered with the now-merged awarding organisation is 2,586.

‘Help and support’

A NOCN spokesman said the exact details of who will be helped will become clear in the comings days. He said that, as a responsible awarding organisation, NOCN notified Ofqual of the potential “adverse effect” on learners from the Carillion collapse.

He added: “It is important to emphasise that there are other registered Carillion learners who fall outside of the CITB remit, and NOCN will work with the ESFA to help ensure they also receive the help and support they need to continue their training.

“These include learners who are registered for NOCN-Cskills Awards Construction NVQs or other qualifications and also learners and apprentices who are outside of construction; for example, those learning English and maths functional skills, facilities management, and hospitality.”

‘Saddened’ by demise

NOCN’s managing director, Graham Hasting-Evans, said he was saddened by the news of Carillion’s demise.

He added: “We cannot let this undermine the careers of so many talented young people who really deserve the best help we can give them.

“I have met with CITB and we have jointly agreed that our organisations will work closely together to ensure apprentices are properly looked after over the coming months.

“We will also liaise closely with ESFA to ensure all other Carillion learners can gain their qualifications. We share the same vision, to get these young people back into work and training as soon as possible with the minimum of disruption.”

A Department for Education spokesman said it was grateful to CITB for helping to ensure learners can continue to gain the skills they need.

She added: “We have taken steps to protect learners by transferring the training of Carillion apprentices to the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB).

“We will continue to work closely with the CITB to support apprentices to remain in existing placements or to find new employment with other local organisations so they can complete their training.”

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