The government have announced that 5,000 construction apprenticeships are to be created per year with the establishment of 32 new skills hubs for training
The apprenticeship skills hubs represent an investment of £140m by industry leaders to boost vital skills and house building.
The hubs will provide more apprenticeship positions and training via realistic work environments for various construction trades.
The apprenticeship skills hubs will identify the needs of specific areas
The hubs will provide training for bricklayers, roofers, plasterers, scaffolders, electricians, and carpenters, among others.
The hubs are being launched in collaboration with the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) and the National House-Building Council (NHBC).
The project is also being launched with Skills England to identify which areas and regions need specific construction skills and workers the most. This will help employers and businesses ensure they have access to apprenticeship training that best suits their needs.
The hubs will offer apprenticeships that take 12-18 months to complete. This is half the time that traditional apprenticeships take, at 24-30 months, with the intent to put more construction workers out at a more rapid pace, boosting the economy and closing the skills gap.
The government intends to work towards the 1.5m housing target with this workforce boost
Upon coming into power, the current Labour government set a target of 1.5m new homes by the end of their term, a target that the Housing Forum has stated will need to see 450,000 homes built in 2029 at current construction rates.
Minister for skills, Baroness Jacqui Smith, said: “This government is committed to 1.5 million homes being built across this parliament, while breaking down barriers to opportunity by fixing our broken skills system.
“If we are to meet this ambitious target and fix the foundations of our economy, we need to ensure we have a skilled workforce, and give more apprentices a foot on the career ladder.
“The need to boost our country’s skills is crucial to our mission-driven government, and I am pleased that this initiative will give apprentices skills to seize opportunity.”
Roger Morton, director of business change and NHBC’s Training Hubs, said: “Our £100 million investment in a national network of 12 NHBC Multi-Skills Training Hubs will train quality apprentices and help shape the future of UK house building. Our expert facilities will shake-up the industry starting with training in critical areas including bricklaying, groundwork and site carpentry.
“NHBC’s hubs are designed to be flexible, adapting to local housing needs and regulatory changes. Our intensive training will produce skilled tradespeople faster, equipping them to hit the ground running from day one. At NHBC, our mission is to ensure every apprentice meets our high standards, delivering quality new homes the UK urgently needs.
“With funding support through the Apprenticeship Levy and generous grants, I’d say to builders and contractors, there’s never been a better time to invest in apprentices. It’s an opportunity to grow your workforce while offering talented people a rewarding and well-paid career in this essential industry.”
The industry welcomes the news
The Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB) has championed the news of an additional 5,000 apprenticeships per year.
David Barnes, Acting Head of Policy and Public Affairs at CIOB, said: “This is a welcomed move which aligns with CIOB’s long-standing calls for the Government to help address the construction skills gap in the UK to help deliver a sustainable and resilient construction industry with an assured pipeline of future skills.
“We hope by establishing new skills hubs across the country, the Government can provide appropriate training for essential construction trades like bricklayers, roofers, plasterers and scaffolders which will help to deliver the ambitious housing targets set by the Government.
“While we understand addressing the skills deficit is a time-sensitive issue, the gap is about capability as much as capacity. There is a lack of teachers with current practice knowledge, which only investment in training and better remuneration will solve.
“Ultimately, while welcomed, this is by no means a complete solution to the housing plans, and there is still a long way to go to address the predicted shortfall of more than 250,000 workers needed to deliver construction output by 2028,” he added.
“We hope policymakers will soon also focus on increasing the number of building control professionals and local planners to ensure planning applications can be approved speedily and that the rights checks are done to make sure the homes built are high quality.”
Dave Dargan, CEO and co-founder of Starship: “It’s reassuring to see the government remain unwavering in its commitment to delivering 1.5m new homes during its tenure, though I have always questioned how this ambitious goal could be achieved without additional investment in tackling the ongoing construction skills shortage. Over the years, the industry has seen a large exodus of highly skilled workers which has only made the challenge more profound.
“The government’s pledge to invest £140m in establishing dedicated homebuilding skills hubs is a promising step forward and I am eager to see it come to fruition. If this new programme will indeed create 5,000 additional construction apprenticeship places every year, then this will be a massive step in the right direction. However, it is crucial that these hubs provide hands-on, practical experience, allowing young people to gain insight into careers in construction.”
In October, the Construction Products Association warned of a demographic crisis for construction skills, saying that an ageing workforce and loss of employment in the sector will see a huge loss of workers in a relatively short timeframe.
While the new apprenticeship skills hubs will tackle shortages, it remains to be seen how well the courses will be taught with a diminishing amount of experienced workers able to take on teaching roles.
