Rachel Reeves pours £600m into construction training

The chancellor has claimed the government are looking to upskill 60,000 workers to help deliver their target of 1.5 million homes.

According to the latest figures from the Office of National Statistics (ONS) there are over 35,000 job vacancies within construction – the highest rate of any sector – and employers have cited a lack of skills as being one of the reasons why.

With these facts in mind, it’s safe to assume the government are concerned about how they plan on delivering their 1.5 million new homes before the next general election.

Against this backdrop, Chancellor Rachel Reeves has announced £600million will be provided to train 60,000 construction workers. Part of this includes giving £100million of new investment to fund 10 new Technical Excellence Colleges and £165million of new funding to help colleges provide more construction courses.

What’s more, among other plans, £100million has also been earmarked for skills bootcamps in the sector to encourage new entrants, returners or those looking to upskill within the industry.

‘We’re determined to get Britain building again, that’s why we are taking on the blockers to build 1.5 million new homes and rebuild our roads, rail and energy infrastructure,’ Reeves said. ‘But none of this is possible without the engineers, brickies, sparkies and chippies to actually get the work done, which we are facing a massive shortage of.

‘We’ve overhauled the planning system that is holding this country back, now we are gripping the lack of skilled construction workers, delivering on our Plan for Change to boost jobs and growth for working people.’

Other measures included in the package include:

• £20million for Local Skills Improvement Plans
• New foundation apprenticeships funded by £40million
• A further £100million of government funding for the Construction Industry Training Board
• £80million capital fund to support employers to deliver bespoke training

Commenting on the news, Rico Wojtulewicz, Head of Policy and Market Insight at the National Federation of Builders and House Builders Association said: ‘The Chancellor should be commended for recognizing that growth is primarily driven by business certainty and people, rather than tax breaks. Funding for colleges and trainers is particularly welcome, as they play a critical role in ensuring apprentices receive the highest-quality training.

‘However, without support from other government departments, these ambitions will fail. Education reforms must not prohibit or deter experienced construction workers from teaching in colleges or academies simply because they are deemed unqualified. Planning reform must shift its focus beyond large developers onto the 99% of housebuilders who train seven in 10 apprentices. Grid reforms need accelerating, with energy policy addressing construction challenges and costs. Both environmental and procurement policies require continuous review.

‘For too long, years have been wasted trying to solve individual issues, and while we have already seen action from Labour to promote that, it is now time to get around the table and thrash out a deliverable strategy.’

Photo by Nicolas J Leclercq via UnSplash

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