Training
Regional skills shortage threatens Government’s 1.5m housing pledge
As new construction order values surge, a growing regional skills gap is adding critical pressure on sites to maintain project timelines.
N
ew fi ndings from Dart Tool Group have revealed that while construction output is
projected to grow 2.8% in 2026, the labour force available to meet that demand is falling dangerously short of national housing targets – with the Government acknowledging that over a quarter of a million additional workers are needed simply to meet current demand, before future projects are factored in. However, it isn’t just a broad-stroke national issue. At a regional scale, DART Tool Group’s research shows Wales and Scotland face the most stretched workforces, with £33,745 of new order value per working person, while the Midlands is showing early signs of slowdown in site activity, with over half of brick stocks sitting unused in stockyards.
The scale of the shortfall is already refl ected in delivery fi gures, with the latest statistics from the Government showing just 342,100 net additional homes have been built since parliament began - against the larger pledge of 1.5 million by 2029. A separate look at the apprenticeship pipeline deepens the concern, revealing a national defi cit of 106 job vacancies competing for every apprenticeship opening across common trades. Ryan Paterson, managing director at DART Tool Group, examines how the talent pipeline is impacting the delivery of projects, explaining, “Nationally, the construction industry is facing a delivery crisis as labour levels fail to keep pace with soaring project demands, leading to delays and mounting pressure on timelines. Our Construction Regions Report found that this problem is worst in the North of England, where a 33.2% growth in new construction order value is being undermined by an annual labour shortfall of 2.2%.
“Without the labour to safely manage groundworks, projects are then pushed back or paused before they even break ground. “Furthermore, the leaky talent pipeline isn’t producing enough newly qualifi ed workers. Our research reveals a national defi cit of 99 jobs for every construction apprenticeship opening,
Trade Electrical Engineering
Surveying, Design and Management
Construction Plumbing and Heating Manufacturing Total Note:
Apprenticeship Defi cit by Trade, DART Tool Group Research The absolute defi cit shows the gap between how many jobs are available outside of apprenticeship placements. The Jobs per Opening ratio shows how many job vacancies there are for every one apprenticeship place available.
and 227 for every electrical apprenticeship place, eff ectively lengthening the fi nal-stage completion timeline for projects. This widening skills gap can leave sites without the specialised workers needed to complete projects, adding more pressure to already strained sites. “The disconnect between the Government’s ambitious targets for 2029 and the labour force available to drive these projects forward at a regional scale is widening. You can’t build 1.5 million homes on good intentions, and the latest offi cial statistics are already showing that - while starts are up, completions fell 6% last year. “Meeting the target starts in the training pipeline. We need more site-ready pathways, particularly where project demand is running hardest, and we need to make sure workers arriving on those sites are properly equipped with the right tools to deliver.”
Methodology
Using Department for Education data (2021/22–2024/25), DART Tool Group analysed apprenticeship starts, enrolments and achievements across construction, engineering and manufacturing sectors. This was cross- referenced against 809 live apprenticeship openings from government portals and job vacancy data from Reed and the ONS to calculate sector demand and regional labour shortfalls. For the Construction Regions Risk Report, DART drew on ONS and CITB data to analyse construction activity, workforce capacity and materials demand across Great Britain regions year-to-date.
Four indicators (new construction order value, pipeline intensity, materials demand and recruitment pressure) were scored regionally and grouped into low, medium and high risk categories based on national averages and the distribution of results.
26 | electrical wholesalerJuly 2026
ewnews.co.uk
Apprentice Openings Total
43 321 82 144 25 194 809 Defi cit 9,697 46,226 9,568 14,163 1,953 3,631 85,238
Jobs per Apprentice Opening
227 145 118 99 79 20 106
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52
