More than 40,000 future builders, bricklayers, electricians, carpenters and
plumbers will get cutting edge skills to get Britain building at
state-of-the-art Technical Excellence Colleges.
The specialist colleges will be in every region of England to deliver the
workforce needed to turbocharge the building of new homes, schools and
hospitals, helping to realise every Brit’s dream of owning their own home.
The move will allow the industry to draw on homegrown, British talent in the
years to come rather than relying on overseas workers, backing the British
working class with well-paid, high skilled job opportunities.
Backed by a £100 million investment, the colleges will help deliver
well-paid jobs for British workers, support the construction sector and deliver
the government’s commitment to build 1.5 million homes through its Plan for
Change.
Not only did the government inherit a severe shortage of housing, the UK
also doesn’t have enough construction workers to start building more homes at
the rate required, with figures from the Office for National Statistics showing
around 35,000 job vacancies need to be plugged in the sector.
Britain cannot and should not rely on foreign labour, which is why the
specialist colleges are central to delivering growth – by working closely with
employers, existing colleges and local communities to make sure that the skills
people are getting are in-demand and will lead to well-paid work.
The new specialist colleges announced today will train 40,000 construction
learners by 2029. They will also break down barriers to opportunity, by
supporting young people breaking into the sector at the start of their careers
as apprentices, as well as established workers getting new skills for better
paid jobs. This future proofs the economy, preserving our highly-skilled
construction workforce for generations to come.
This builds on the £625 million investment announced in March, which will
separately be used to train up to 60,000 more skilled construction workers by
2029. This will pay for new foundation apprenticeships, skills bootcamps and
industry placements for school leavers, all of which will help lay foundations
for long term economic growth through the government’s Plan for Change.
Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said: “We need skilled workers to
deliver the homes, schools and hospitals that communities across the country
are crying out for, and today’s announcement underlines our commitment to the
next generation of homegrown talent.
“Construction Technical Excellence Colleges will enable us
to invest in people and give them the skills they need to break down barriers
to opportunity in an industry which is essential to delivering growth through
our Plan for Change.”
The colleges will soon be online to deliver high quality skills training,
announced in the same week that young people across the country get their
results in A-levels, T Levels and a range of vocational qualifications.
A recent
survey found that the percentage of construction firms funding or offering
training to their workers has fallen from 57% in 2011 to 49% in 2024. This
coincides with an increasing reliance on construction workers coming to the UK
from abroad, preventing our young people from filling the skills needs of our
nation and perpetuating the issue of almost one million young people not being
in education, employment or training.
In response, the industry-led Construction Skills Mission Board has pledged
to recruit an additional 100,000 construction workers a year by the end of this
parliament. This will build on the £625 million government investment announced
at Spring Statement, which will also help to provide more flexible
apprenticeship options and get out of work young people into the workforce.
David Hughes CBE, Chief Executive of the Association of Colleges, said the announcement
is very positive news for people wanting good jobs, for the construction
employers looking for skilled people and for the government’s ambitions to
build 1.5 million new homes. “It represents significant investment and trust in
the 10 successful colleges, and the college sector, recognising their crucial
role in boosting the country’s construction sector by opening up high quality
learning opportunities all over the country,” he added.
“We look forward to supporting the TECs as leaders in the
construction skills arena, partnering with employers, developing new courses
and ensuring that innovation in construction techniques and approaches can be
supported across all employers with skills training. We are also keen to help
the TECs build their networks with other colleges in their areas.”
Tim Balcon, Chief Executive of the Construction Industry Training Board,
said: “It’s wonderful to see the progress being made towards establishing these
Technical Excellence Colleges for Construction. They represent a transformative
opportunity for people to complete local vocational training, helping to drive
regional growth and nurture the next generation of skilled construction workers
in local communities.
“This builds brilliantly on the wider £600 million
construction skills package we’re delivering in partnership with government,
helping create a robust pipeline of talent that will break down barriers to
opportunity, delivering good jobs and powering economic growth across the UK.”
