Just over a third of former Carillion apprentices have received job offers since the construction giant collapsed, according to new figures.

The Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) said 553 of the 1,400 apprentices affected by the crisis had been offered a role with another employer.

The board said it had contacted more than 40,000 construction employers since Carillion went into liquidation earlier this month, encouraging them to take on apprentices, with the help of a £1.5 million cash incentive programme.

More than 850 employers have responded with job offers.

Gillian Cain, head of apprenticeships at the CITB, said: “I’m delighted that we’ve been able to help so many former Carillion apprentices.

“So many small firms have been critical in finding these roles but the job is not done. I want to reassure those who have not yet received job offers that the team at CITB will continue to do everything they can to help apprentices find new employers and get on with their training.

“We are confident that with industry support we can get all apprentices back on track very soon.”

The Work and Pensions and Business Select Committees announced that as part of a joint inquiry into Carillion’s collapse a series of questions have been put to the firm’s major shareholders, the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) and HMRC, to try to get a better picture of operations at the company, and whether there were warning signs that could have been spotted earlier.

The committees have written to BlackRock, UBS, Standard Life, Letko Brosseau & Associates, Kiltearn Partners, Deutsche Bank and Brewin Dolphin – seeking “to examine the performance of the board … the  effectiveness  of  the  board’s stakeholder engagement and whether its major institutional investors complied with the Stewardship Code” and what lay behind each of their decisions to sell shares in Carillion when they did.

The FSB has been asked to provide an overview of Carillion’s supplier payment, and how many of those supplier businesses have been affected directly or indirectly so far by Carillion’s collapse.

HMRC has been asked about Carillion’s performance in paying tax and total outstanding tax liability.

Unite assistant general secretary Gail Cartmail said: “The CITB has done a sterling job, and their work on placements is testament to the importance of a centralised Industrial Training Board for the industry.

“Likewise those contractors who have offered displaced apprentices places are to be commended, and we would hope more come forward so that all apprentices are found a suitable placement.”