DISPLACED PERSONS

摘要

Allan Lamb is bored of watching daytime TV. "I was so close to finishing," he says, referring to his apprenticeship in carpentry and bench joinery. "I just needed six more months." Instead, six days before Christmas, the 20 year old got a phone call from his manager. "He just dropped this bombshell on me," he says. "I've not been able to find work anywhere since."rnWhile the industry is struggling to stay afloat in these turbulent times, its apprentices have been chucked overboard -or, in the language of ConstructionSkills, "displaced". Lamb is one of 3,600 who have lost their jobs in the past six months. Monthly figures show that the rate of lay-offs is increasing and, as the recession drags on, it is clear this number will rise. The government has unveiled a series of initiatives and proposals to keep apprentices working on public projects, but the industry is sceptical about how much difference this will make. And, as placements for apprentices next year look likely to slide another 30-40%, there is a growing sense that the system needs a much more radical intervention if the trainees are to be retained.