In the UK an easing of bureaucracy will make it more straightforward for UK construction employers to take on more apprentices.

UK government Skills Secretary John Denham says that unnecessary bureaucracy such as demands to store paperwork for up to six years, multiple inspection visits and monthly reporting requirements will be ditched at the earliest possible opportunity.

Denham said he was concerned that bureaucracy is deterring some companies - including small and medium-sized enterprises - from taking on apprenticess.

The range of measures that will now be undertaken are:

Registration and certification processes will be simplified, including faster confirmation that apprentices have successfully completed their programmes. Employers will no longer have to wait several months for a paper certificate to arrive

Payment systems will be streamlined enabling payments to be made in two lump sums rather than on a monthly basis if employer requests this

Monthly reporting requirements will be dropped

Inspection and review visits will be reduced

Health & Safety requirements for apprentices will be based more closely on businesses' own in-house systems.