APRIL 2025 | VOLUME 63 | ISSUE 3


Industry welcomes plans to invest in a skilled workforce


The government has acknowledged that the success of its new housing ambitions depend on the growth of a skilled workforce and has pledged to invest over £600m to help train the next generation.


Last month, ahead of her Spring Statement, Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced that £600m will be spent over the next four years to train up to 60,000 construction workers. The investment is in response to the latest figures from the Office for National Statistics which show that there are over 35,000 job vacancies in the construction sector, with employers reporting that over half of those vacancies are not filled because of a lack of required skills. The new investment includes


£100m to help fund 10 new Technical Excellence Colleges and £165m of new funding to help colleges deliver more construction courses. Skills Bootcamps in the construction sector will also be expanded, with £100m of funding to address the needs of new entrants, returners, or those looking to upskill within the industry. All Local Skills Improvement


Plan (LSIP) areas will benefit from £20m to form partnerships between colleges and construction companies, to boost the number


of teachers with construction experience in colleges, so that they can share their expertise with the next generation of workers. Construction will also be


one of the key sectors that will benefit from new foundation apprenticeships backed by an additional £40 million, which will be launched this August. As part of the new off er, employers will be provided with £2,000 for every foundation apprentice they take on and retain. A further £100m of government funding, alongside a £32m contribution from the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB), will fund over 40,000 industry placements each year for all Level 2 and Level 3 learners, those studying NVQs, BTECs, T-levels, and advanced apprenticeships. The CITB will also double the size of its New Entrant Support Team (NEST) programme to support SMEs in recruiting, engaging and retaining apprentices. An additional £80 million capital


fund will support employers to deliver bespoke training based on their needs, while the government will also sponsor a new Construction Skills Mission Board to help ensure employers are able to work collaboratively to secure the workforce they need to meet future demand.


Industry backing The government’s investment plans have been broadly welcomed by training providers in the heating and plumbing industry and stakeholders in the wider construction sector. Griff Thomas, MD GTEC,


says: “I am delighted to hear the government’s commitment to construction and skills. As the Chancellor said, ‘Getting Britain Building’ is crucial to our economic growth and provides countless opportunities for skilled tradespeople.” Speaking on behalf of Logic4-


training & LCL Awards, MD Mark Krull says: “As Rachel


Reeves highlighted, boosting building in the UK is good for the economy and population, creating affordable, sustainable homes that create countless jobs and opportunities for education and innovation. “There is much to gain from


boosting construction skills in the UK, and for young people in particular, it offers a range of secure, future proof career pathways that are unlikely to be taken away by AI.”


Beatrice Barleon, head of


policy and public affairs at EngineeringUK, has added her backing to the announcement of new funding but has called on the government to go further to address the fi nancial barriers to technical and vocational entry routes into engineering and technology for all young people. “The investment in construction training is a positive step in the right direction, but this action needs to be replicated through investment across the full STEM skills pipeline,” says Barleon. EngineeringUK says it is looking


to government to reverse recent cuts to Continuous Professional Development for STEM teachers and continue to support outreach programmes reaching into schools. “Government must recognise its role in training the next generation and look to move towards a new model of directly funding apprenticeships for 16- to 18-year-olds to help reverse the decline in uptake of apprenticeships for this age group,” says Barleon.


Training Update See page 17


Inside this issue phamnews.co.uk


Energy Matters See page 14


COMPETITION


Win a range of test & measuring tools from Arctic Hayes!


See page 37


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