As the need for more skilled workers increases in the construction industry, Adrian Beckingham, CITB’s strategy and policy director, discusses how a skills system may be crucial for future work
Creating a skills system that unlocks employers’ appetite to train and grow the construction industry is key to developing a thriving workforce. A well-trained, competent construction workforce is essential to meeting forecasted demand.
The UK demand for construction projects has increased and will further increase in line with the ambitious targets set by government. The Government’s homebuilding plans will require tens of thousands of additional workers in England to meet these targets.
The workforce is declining while housing demand is rising
The construction sector has always had demand for workers, but as highlighted in CITB’s CSN report, the industry is seeing a decline in the workforce, with more people leaving the sector compared to those joining, creating higher demand than experienced before.
To meet the Government’s pledge for 1.5m new homes, our data shows that we’ll need tens of thousands more construction workers such as bricklayers, carpenters, roofers, tilers, and plasterers, a 30% increase in the workforce. This is in addition to the quarter of a million extra construction workers highlighted in the CSN report, which are required to deliver on all forecasted construction demand through to 2028.
Employers need to address this challenge by recruiting, developing, and retaining a skilled, competent, and diverse workforce that can meet current and future needs.
To support the improvement of training and skills, CITB has committed to investing over £267m to ensure the skills system is fit for purpose now and in the future. We have been working collaboratively and at pace with the government and industry to develop interventions to meet the construction workforce’s skills needs and deliver its homebuilding ambitions.
Additionally, we’ve been engaging with the industry to agree on a single definition of competence within the industry for each construction role. This is the first step in creating a skills system that better enables employers to articulate their skills needs so that industry and government can develop more relevant training pathways to respond to them.
Apprenticeships are vital to continued growth
A strong apprenticeship pipeline is vital for SME employers and a healthy construction industry. Smaller companies with fewer than 50 employees played a crucial role in apprenticeship starts, employing over two-thirds of all apprentices.
Notably, micro and small companies (with two to nine employees) constitute 79% of the construction industry, but only 18% of these firms currently employ apprentices. Engaging with these smaller firms will be essential to increasing apprenticeship opportunities in the sector.
However, while the industry has historically focused on attracting apprentices, it also needs to improve its retention of current skilled workers and be more attractive to those thinking of pursuing a career in construction.
Currently, some 60% of further education learners on construction courses do not end up in the industry. This needs to be addressed with effective recruitment and training while promoting the benefits of joining the industry.
Half of all new construction entrants come in through an informal route, with only 11% via an apprenticeship, so a joined-up approach to recruiting, training, developing, and upskilling talent will play a crucial role in supporting an industry that is a key driver of the UK economy.
CITB has committed to supporting the growth of the workforce, ensuring that all available pathways into the industry are clear and accessible for people, including upskilling and identifying transferable skills from other industries.
We’ve seen strong demand for our apprenticeship and qualification grants, and we want to keep up the momentum. In 2023, we invested £78m in apprenticeship grants, and our programmes and initiatives supported over 32,000 people in pursuing an apprenticeship. We’re also investing an additional £70m throughout this financial year.
A collaborative process is key to a construction skills system
As I alluded to earlier, it’s not just about raising awareness of the scale of support available and the industry working collaboratively to address the skills shortage. We also need to be better at promoting the benefits of working in the industry.
One way we’re doing this at CITB is through SkillBuild, which is the largest and longest-running multi-trade skills competition in the UK. CITB recently hosted the SkillBuild National Final, where 78 trainees were assessed on several aspects, including technical ability, time management, problem-solving, skills working under pressure, and compliance with health and safety requirements.
Healthy competitions like SkillBuild have the power to turn interests and hobbies into rewarding careers, and we hope that showcasing trainee talent will help attract more people to the industry.
With opportunities like SkillBuild becoming more readily available and attractive to learners, there is a push to make the industry more attractive and appealing to ensure learners receive high-quality experiences.
This year, CITB has invested nearly £30m into the National Construction College (NCC), and paired with transformational work to improve their training offering, they have seen learner retention rates increasing to over 80%, with qualification achievement rates already significantly above the sector average.
Through a partnership of CITB and the National Housing Building Council (NHBC), the government has launched a fast-track construction training and apprenticeship programme through Homebuilding Skills Hubs.
Two skills hubs have been commissioned so far to deliver 2,000 apprenticeship starts, and up to 32 hubs could be launched by 2027. The hubs will provide training in areas of critical demand for homebuilding, including roofing, carpentry, and bricklaying. They will enable learners to complete their training 25 – 45% faster than normal apprenticeships, depending on the course being taken.
CITB is ready to work with the Government, industry, and training providers to ensure that coordinated reforms are put in place to drive sustained growth in the construction industry, meeting the government’s construction targets.
With all these different mechanisms and initiatives being put in place in the industry, we’re hopeful to see more workers coming through, but it will take more effort and a partnership approach to ensure that our industry remains attractive for retaining talent and for new learners coming into the industry in search of their long-term career.
