Construction skills hubs to train 5,000 more apprentices

The government has announced plans to launch 32 new Homebuilding Skills Hubs as part of a £140m construction industry investment.

The skills hubs will provide 5,000 more construction apprenticeships to help boost homebuilding in the UK. 

The government is working with the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) and the National House-Building Council (NHBC) to launch the hubs, which will provide fast-track training for key construction trades, including bricklayers, roofers, plasterers, scaffolders, electricians, carpenters and more.

The apprenticeships can be completed in 12-18 months, compared to 24-30 months for a traditional construction apprenticeship.

Minister for skills, Baroness Jacqui Smith, said: “This government is committed to 1.5m 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.”

The training hubs, which are expected to be launched by 2028, will be set up across the country in the areas with the greatest homebuilding need.

NHBC is investing £100m as part of the initiative, which will be used for its national network of 12 NHBC Multi-Skills Training Hubs. 

Roger Morton, director of change and training hubs at NHBC, said: “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.”

Tim Balcon, chief executive of CITB, added: “It is clear that we need to rethink how we train our workforce and be much more agile in our approach.

“We have worked closely with the homebuilding industry and government to develop a programme that is focused on equipping individuals with the skills they need to be productive on site, in the most efficient way. This is truly a collaborative approach and one we are very excited about.

“This investment to launch 32 Homebuilding Skills Hubs will help meet the homebuilding targets while flattening peaks in demand for construction skills on homebuilding across the country.”

Welcoming the announcement, the Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB) said the additional apprenticeships align with its "long-standing calls" for the government to help address the construction skills gap in the UK. 

David Barnes, acting head of policy and public affairs at CIOB, said: “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. 

“We hope the government will work closely with the construction industry to develop its course content, ensuring the right training is given – particularly in the shorter time frame. This will also be vital in ensuring we have the quality of homes consumers deserve.” 

Barnes urged the government to also consider the high dropout rates for trade apprenticeships, which could rise in a shortened and more intense programme as outlined in these new plans. 

“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 right checks are done to make sure the homes built are high quality.”