Carillion redundancies rise to 2,778 as more than 340 apprentices laid off

The latest round of redundancies from construction and outsourcing company Carillion has raised the total figure of employees laid off to 2,778.

Carillion's official receiver confirmed that a further 356 people have been made redundant through the liquidation of the company. More than 340 of those are reported to be apprentices.

It is unclear if any of those dismissed are from the company's catering arm, which once served 32,000 meals to school pupils and 18,5000 patient meals at NHS hospitals daily.

Gail Cartmail, assistant general secretary at Unite, said: "This is an appalling way to treat these apprentices who should have become the backbone of the industry. To dump them and to destroy their training is an act of crass stupidity.

"These actions highlight the government's total failure to assist the workers who have been most affected by Carillion's collapse through no fault of their own.

"The government could have used its procurement power to find placements for these apprentices but it chose not to, demonstrating that it is not serious about dealing with the skills crisis facing the industry."

According to Unite statistics, the redundancies, triggered by the company racking up debts of more than £1.5b, have reduced the UK's construction apprenticeship numbers by 1.6%.

A Department for Education spokesperson said: "Following the collapse of Carillion the Construction Industry Training Board [CITB] took immediate action to make sure apprenticeship training could continue as normal and we have been working closely with the CITB to find alternative employment for all those apprentices."

In total, 13,516 jobs have been saved following the liquidation of the company, retaining 74% of the workforce, while 15% have been made redundant.

Carillion update: 1,705 employees made redundant>>

NHS launches contingency plans following Carillion collapse>>

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