Can £140m apprenticeship investment transform construction skills shortages?

Five thousand more construction apprenticeship places will be made available due to a £140 million industry investment to get Britain building again.

The government aims to bring 32 new Homebuilding Skills Hubs to deliver fast-track training to areas in need of housing, and give apprentices skills to boost housebuilding.

The hubs will offer realistic working environments for training for trades including bricklayers, roofers, plasterers, scaffolders, electricians, carpenters and more.

The government is working with the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) and the National House-Building Council (NHBC) to launch the hubs, in tandem with Skills England  to identify the areas that need construction workers the most.

In July, the government launched Skills England to address the ‘broken and fragmented’ skills and training system.

The fast-track apprenticeships offered by the hubs can be completed in 12-18 months, up to half the time of a traditional 24-30-month construction apprenticeship. 

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.

However, the new hubs have been criticised by chief economist at BCIS Dr David Crosthwaite, who claimed the apprenticeship programme falls short.

Dr Crosthwaite said: “On the face of it, the increase in available construction apprenticeships seems like a positive move, although it will take some time to make a material difference on-site.

“Halving the time taken to become “fully qualified” may reduce the dropout rate, which is particularly high in construction apprenticeships.

“How can what once took twice as long, now be delivered in half-the time? Are there going to be quality issues as a result of shortening the training period?”

A report by CITB in May revealed that 251,000 extra construction workers are required by 2028 to meet demand, with 31 percent of construction employers finding suitably skilled staff remains their key challenge.

Dr Crosthwaite continued: “5,000 apprenticeships a year will not be enough to cover those expected to retire/leave the industry annually, so at best, this is not adding additional workers to an industry that has seen close to 350,000 leave the sector over the last five years.

“In my opinion, this initiative will not have a major impact on the realisation of 1.5 million new homes over the next five years, as promised by the government.”

Meanwhile, Lee Parkinson, chief executive of EN:Able Futures, said: “We welcome the Labour government’s ambitions and drive to advance the country’s housebuilding mission. 

“We know first-hand just how effective apprenticeships are for both the apprentice and employer and a skilled workforce will bring us back on track to meeting these wider ambitious targets.

“However, central government must seek guidance from organisations with expertise in this field as they know how best to support the talent of tomorrow and ensure the government’s investment provides the missing link.”