Seventy-five percent of employers in the Building Services Engineering sector either increased or maintained their level of apprentice recruitment in 2012, according to research conducted for JTL by research and consulting agency Pye Tait.

London and East Midlands were two of the best-performing regions with electrical employers most likely to maintain or increase their employment levels as they look to the future. While heating and ventilating remained more cautious, there was a balanced view that apprenticeship level recruitment remains as in the previous year by 83% of the research sample.

The continued economic squeeze was cited by 22% of employers as the primary reason for being unable to recruit at the same level as in 2011, with those in the range of 21-49 staff being the most optimistic category.

JTL’s quality assurance manager David Consterdine, who commissioned the research, said that the results also indicated a growth in satisfaction levels among employers regarding the service provided by the company in making accessing funding support easier, as well as complementing Skills Funding Agency (SFA) data showing that JTL apprentices are ahead of the national trend in successful and timely completions.

“We regard it important that employers have the support services and confidence that they have recruited the right person who can both achieve and be a continuing business asset for their company,” said Consterdine. “Working with college partners, our training officers received highly encouraging feedback with both commitment to employer communication and quality control at the fore.”

JTL is also increasing the focus on older candidates based upon changes in funding conditions that makes recruiting more mature employees a more viable possibility for sector employers.