From the Express and Echo

Try telling teenage apprentice Danny Packham that being a mechanic is a job for school dropouts and he’ll probably be too busy doing physics equations to argue. Similarly bricklayer John Hustwayte will also be tied up with calculations as he tries to finish his studies.

Having been seen as unfashionable industries for too long, there is now a desperate need for construction and motor vehicle workers – which means high salaries for those wise enough to get trained up. A plumber can earn between £20,000 and £40,000.

But plumbers, builders and mechanics now have to be more skilled than ever to keep up with advancing technology.

This doesn’t put off the next generation of employees, 2,000 of whom are currently studying at Exeter College.

The college’s construction centre in Sowton has had to be extended while the motor vehicle training centre in Marsh Barton is full to capacity. Students are taught by those still working in the industry and can specialise in carpentry and joinery, brickwork, painting and decorating, electrical, plumbing, construction and civil engineering, vehicle and motor cycle maintenance and body repair. John is working on building sites around Newton Abbott and Ashburton and spends one day a week at college so he can qualify. “This means I will be paid a lot more which is why I decided to get trained up,” said the 19-year-old from Chudleigh. Danny, 17, is a young apprentice who already has a job in a local garage but also wanted to qualify.

Simon Friend, head of both departments, said there has been a huge amount of interest in careers in construction. “It is not only young people and school leavers who are looking at construction as a career, we are also enrolling mature students, some of whom are changing career direction completely,” Mr Friend said.

A report estimated 20,000 construction jobs are currently unfilled in the UK and 90,000 new recruits will be needed each year to meet demand. Employers are turning to Exeter College when they look for workers, and some have been so impressed with the standard of training there they volunteer to teach students.
Matt Keele has run his own construction firm for 20 years but now spends half his time in college as an associate lecturer. “What’s good about me doing this is I can give career advice at the same time,” Matt said. “I would certainly recommend this as a job. My last three employees emigrated to Australia, I’m quite jealous.”

Staff also teach those as young as 14 one day a week as part of Exeter College’s link with the city secondaries. Brad Reid, 14, from Isca College of Media Arts, wants to become a carpenter. “It’s not like school at the construction centre,” he said. Kyle Foster, 14, from St Peter’s, said: “My grades at school have really gone up since doing this course because I now understand how useful maths and science are.”

Exeter College is also part of the Government’s Train to Gain scheme, which allows employers to sent their workers for further training. Mr Friend said: “There have been skills shortages in both industries for some time now, therefore it has become a bright picture for people wishing to follow an associated career.”