Carillion Construction Limited, a leading integrated support services company, received a total funding allocation of £7 million from the Skills Funding Agency for the 2014 to 2015 funding year and is on track to deliver its commitment to create 5,000 apprenticeships, across its network of training centres over the next five years.

During a tour of Carillion’s Kings Cross training centre, Richard Harrington met with apprentices who are about to start on a 15 month carpentry apprenticeship programme.

The training centre currently has 96 apprentices and this is set to increase during the September intake. The centre offers training, apprenticeships, employment advice and job opportunities to local people looking to work in construction. The apprenticeships offered are in general construction, ground works, carpentry and joinery, plastering and dry lining.

Richard Harrington MP, the prime minister’s advisor on apprenticeships said:

“I congratulate those 25 young people who joined Carillion on Monday and are in the process of completing their first week in work. I have always been a strong supporter of apprenticeships.

“It is crucial that we continue to support the growth of high quality apprenticeships across the country and I welcome the work Carillion has done at Kings Cross to make this possible. The apprentices I have met today have shown great enthusiasm in their new apprenticeship courses and I wish them the best of luck in their future careers.”

Richard Harrington is also joint chairman of the government’s new Apprenticeship Advisory Board, alongside David Meller. The Board, which reports to Skills Minister Nick Boles MP, will work directly with the National Apprenticeship Service to stimulate interest in, and take up of apprenticeships.