THE Construction Industry Training Board (CITB), working in partnership with the Learning and Skills Councils, has agreed on the number of apprentices it needs to fill the skills gap in the North-East and Cumbria this year.

There are approximately 540 craft apprentice vacancies in the region.

Young people aged 16 to 18 will be employed by local employers, training towards an NVQ level 2 in construction crafts.

Local colleges and training centres will be involved in the delivery of the off-the-job training, whilst site experience will be gained working with the employers.

During the next three months, applicants will be assessed for suitability by CITB, prior to being forwarded to an employer for interview.

Barry Chapman, CITB's new entrant training manager, said: "CITB North-East and Cumbria currently manages the training, on behalf of the construction industry, of 1170 craft apprentices.

"Our staff will be working very closely with employers, colleges, training centres and the careers service over the next few months to ensure we achieve Industry's apprentices recruitment target for 2001."

For more information, contact the CITB in Sunderland on 0191-516 3900.