South West Wales Shared Apprentice Scheme
Cyfle Building Skills Shared Apprentice Scheme
The Queen’s award winning Cyfle Building Skills Shared Apprenticeship Scheme commenced on Monday 16th September 2013 within 5 Local Authority Regions, Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion, Pembrokeshire, Neath Port-Talbot and Swansea. In October 2016 Cyfle Building Skills was awarded Charitable Status.
Cyfle Building Skills is a Multi Award Winner Regional Shared Apprenticeship Scheme, that currently employs over 95 apprentices and has employed 780+ shared apprentices to date. It is a Shared Apprenticeship Scheme that was launched by South West Wales Regional Shared Apprenticeship Ltd (SWWRSAL) and CITB in 2013 and is currently the largest Shared Apprenticeship Scheme in the UK. The aim is to provide a service which supports young adults into sustainable employment within the construction industry. This will help young people further their careers and their chances of gaining employment. They will have the opportunity to gain apprenticeships and achieve qualifications at level 2, 3 & into higher apprenticeships at level 4/5.
Cyfle Building Skills Employs Shared Apprentices in the following trades:
Bricklaying, Plastering, Carpentry, Electrical, Plumbing, Painting & Decorating, Maintenance/Multi-Skilling, Technical.
Currently, around 90% of apprentices who complete the three years have secured full time employment in their chosen trade. Cyfle Building Skills will introduce new tradespeople into the sector and boost employment. It also means that, through tough economic climates contractors are not tied to supporting full-time apprenticeships. The Shared Apprenticeship Scheme allows apprentices to complete a full apprenticeship program by working with a number of different employers, to gain the skill sets they require to become qualified.
It has been set up to help employers who want to support the development of skills while working on regional contracts, but are not in a position to offer a full term apprenticeship, and who wish to support training the future workforce. Getting involved in the Shared Apprenticeship Scheme allows employers to dip in and out of apprentice training. The Scheme allows you to take on an apprentice, for as short a duration as three months, with no commitment to the apprentice at the end. The Scheme allows employers to enjoy all the benefits of an apprentice, without any long-term risk or long-term cost to their business. Once the apprentice has finished working with an employer they are found another placement, and upon framework completion, they will be assisted in sourcing permanent employment within their chosen trade.
Following the success of the Carmarthenshire Shared Apprenticeship Scheme, industry partners and stakeholders indented the potential to extend the initiative to that of a Regional model with this being overseen by the three Independent Construction Industry Training Groups which reside in the South West Wales Region, namely:
– Carmarthenshire Construction Training Association Ltd “CCTAL”
– Swansea Bay Construction Support Group “SBCSG”
– Dyfed Training Group “DTG”
How it works
Employers/Contracts will be providing relevant, structured training opportunities to an agreed schedule ensuring appropriate levels of mentoring and support throughout the learner journey.
The Regional Shared Apprenticeship Scheme will be managed and operated by Cyfle” and in principal it will operate within the unitary authority boundaries of; Neath Port Talbot, Swansea City, Carmarthenshire, Pembrokeshire and Ceredigion.
Aims of the schemes
– To produce competent, craft skilled personnel to not only meet the needs and challenges of today’s construction industry but more importantly deliver a sustainable flow of competent craft based operatives into South West Wales region for the foreseeable future.
– To educate, inspire and support people to develop careers in the construction sector throughout the South West Wales Region via a shared approach, supported by the industry, to make a significant contribution to training activity and achievement of the region.
