Central Library project to kick start careers of nine young apprentices

Dec 5 2009 by Edward Chadwick, Birmingham Mail

THE £193 million project to build a new central library for Birmingham will give nine young apprentices their first taste of the construction industry.

The trainees have picked up their hard hats after undergoing courses in bricklaying and joinery and will take up 18-month contracts on the scheme.

A total of 25 apprentices will be taken on by contractors Carillion during the building of the new library next to the Rep Theatre on Centenary Square. Shilpi Akbar, assistant director of regeneration at Birmingham City Council, said: “The first nine apprentices recruited through the Employment Access Team have now begun their training and can expect to benefit from Carillion’s commitment to job sustainability. Opportunities like this are vital, as it can be very hard for unemployed people to compete, particularly in the current economic climate.”