Last week the government launched a new element of its Apprenticeship Programme, including a £30m fund to support small firms take on trainees and measures it said would "reduce red tape for all employers providing apprenticeships".
Roughcut has taken on trainees from diverse backgrounds and in its new Sky comedy Carters Get Rich, featuring Dawson's Creek's James Van der Beek, he "deliberately" chose a more multicultural family.
It's not all doom and gloom, though; I expect more firms to look to the fast-growing Asian and international markets and make commitments and investments in taking on trainees who can be used as resource in the Far East, India and the Emirates".
Some companies who have Quantity Surveyors may be willing to take on trainees with one or two days per week spent at university.
"Companies round here are realising they've got to deal with a ticking timebomb, which is an ageing workforce," he said, adding that the apprenticeship levy is another incentive to train people, because companies will receive a refund on it if they take on trainees.
Taking on a trainee is always a bit of a gamble: the majority are excellent but the odd bad apple falls through the net.
Extra support, worth £2,000 per trainee, will also be available for employers and training providers who take on 16 to 18-year-old apprentices or young care leavers.
Gloucestershire is hoping to take on more trainee referees if the scheme proves a success.
I simply cannot afford to take on a trainee position that offers to pay me £6.08 per hour (£11,065 pa for a 35-hour week).
A set of what economists call "perverse incentives" encourages lab chiefs and institutions to take on more trainees in good times and submit more grant proposals in bad ones.
