Six new apprentices have been employed to help maintain council housing in Lancaster, thanks to an innovative new employment scheme.
Lancaster Council, its housing maintenance partner Forrest, Constructing the Future Lancashire (CTFL) and CITB ConstructionSkills introduced the scheme with the aim of getting school leavers into the construction industry.
The scheme creates apprenticeships in traditional building crafts such as joinery, plastering and plumbing.
More than 140 school leavers applied to take part, following an open day at Lancaster Town Hall in May. The successful applicants, all aged between 16 and 20, will be 
employed by CTFL.
The council and Forrest are joint funding the project, which will see the apprentices work towards a City & Guilds NVQ level three qualification over three years.
The initiative is unlike other shared apprenticeship schemes, which work on an ‘as and when’ basis and place 
apprentices back in a pool once a contract has ended.
Instead, Forrest and the council will provide the 
apprentices with work for the length of their course.
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