"To meet the scale of future housing ambitions, we need government and the relevant bodies, such as the Construction Skills Mission Board, to target investment in the right areas and remove the barriers that are holding back employers"
- Andy George, HBF
The Home Builders Federation (HBF) has launched its latest Home Building Sector Skills Plan, setting out what it describes as “a comprehensive industry-led roadmap for attracting, retaining and training the workforce needed to deliver 1.5 million new homes during this parliament.”
The plan, released today (August 14), outlines measures to address skills shortages and calls on the government to provide greater support to the home building sector’s workforce development.
The strategy includes initiatives aimed at reversing the decline in new entrants to construction roles from the education system and programmes to boost diversity and capability. HBF has warned that the government risks losing talent unless more support is directed towards home-building careers.
HBF stated: “As a new cohort of school leavers prepares to receive their results in the coming weeks, government is at risk of losing talent if it does not act and direct more support into home building careers. While 100,000 students may be enrolled in Further Education construction courses at any one time, less than 40% of those students go directly into employment in construction. Without a strategy tailored specifically to home building, the UK will fall short of its housing ambitions.”
The plan also highlights progress made in recent years, including industry-led solutions that have already delivered results. “More than 15,000 tradespeople have benefitted from fully-funded brickwork and roofing masterclasses and more than 200 women have received guidance on home building careers via the Women into Home Building programme. Meanwhile, ten colleges and eight home builders are engaged in the national 'Partner a College' pilot which aims to improve student employability through greater collaboration between employers and education providers,” the federation said.
Andy George, HBF director of industry attraction and skills, said: “The home building industry is already stepping up to lead on the skills agenda with many interventions showing results. The updated Home Building Sector Skills Plan is a blueprint for the future, providing a long-term approach for attraction, developing and retaining the workforce that we will need to deliver home building targets.
“With our members actively delivering training, reshaping talent pipelines, partnering with colleges and creating new routes into the sector, we have the key foundations in place to support efforts to increase the housing supply.”
HBF is urging government to bolster industry efforts with long-term investment in skills and training. Its proposals include increased and more flexible funding for further education, ensuring the Growth and Skills Levy works for all employers, and creating clearer, more accessible pathways for new entrants and career changers.
“To meet the scale of future housing ambitions, we need government and the relevant bodies, such as the Construction Skills Mission Board, to target investment in the right areas and remove the barriers that are holding back employers,” said George.
The plan introduces a new mentoring initiative for apprentices through “Site Ready Solutions” – a model designed to address the lack of progression for entry-level bricklayers by providing a formal development pathway.
It also reaffirms HBF’s backing for the expansion of NHBC Multi-Skill Hubs supported by the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB). Once all 12 hubs are fully operational, they are expected to support 3,000 apprenticeships annually.
HBF has called on home builders and wider industry stakeholders to continue investing in skills development, working with education providers, and scaling up successful programmes.
Roger Morton, director of business change at NHBC, said: “The updated Home Building Sector Skills Plan is another important step towards better attraction, retention and training of tradespeople in the UK, essential to help deliver quality new homes at pace. NHBC is committed to helping drive skills training, and we are investing £100 million in a national network of 12 new multi-skill training hubs.”
Tim Balcon, chief executive at CITB, said: “Right now is the biggest opportunity the construction industry has had at its doorstep for some time, and this is being driven by the government’s commitment to home building. The Home Building Sector Skills Plan will help employers meet current and future skills demands.
“This is the latest step we’re taking to support the industry, having committed £40 million to the establishment of Homebuilding Skills Hubs, which will train thousands of homebuilding apprentices. Earlier this year, CITB also invested £32 million as part of the Government’s £600 million construction skills package to fund over 40,000 industry placements each year.”
