Construction firms are being offered a cash boost to take on apprentices who have been laid off because of the recession.

ConstructionSkills, the skills council for the industry, has secured £1 million from the National Apprenticeship Service (NAS) to help young people back into work.

The organisation is now appealing for firms able to provide suitable employment to come forward.

Grants of up to £1,000 are available for employers joining the ConstructionSkills Apprenticeship Matching Service, which helps employers hold on to apprentices or, when this is not possible, matches displaced apprentices with new employers.

Campaign Apprentices have become a hot topic in recent days after it was revealed that a £3 million Government campaign to increase the number of young people being employed had only managed to recruit 600 across the UK since it began in January.

The problem, according to Jim Whatley, from Sigta, a Brighton-based training provider, is that many employers cannot afford to pay the wages of apprentices in the current economic climate.

He estimated that the number of apprenticeships available in Sussex has plummeted by 70% since the recession began.

Lee Bailey, of Hove-based builders Bailey Brothers, is planning to apply for ConstructionSkills funding to take on a new apprentice.

He will train them up for three years before employing them permanently.

He said: “Apprentices are critical in our industry because if new traders are not coming through then it’s a huge problem.

“Business is going well and we have been very busy so we probably would have taken on an apprentice even without the extra funding.

“But the money will cover the day’s wages while the apprentice is at college and means we can give them a bit more training outside of their normal work.”

Robbie Beecher, apprenticeship manager for ConstructionSkills South East, said: “It is absolutely imperative that we do everything possible to retain the talent within the industry, in a concerted and co-ordinated effort, to try and prevent a skills shortage.”

For more information on the ConstructionSkills Apprenticeship Programme, visit www.cskills.org.