The Home Builders Federation (HBF) has launched the latest iteration of its Home Building Sector Skills Plan.
The updated strategy sets out a comprehensive, industry-led roadmap for attracting, retaining and training the workforce needed to deliver 1.5 million new homes during this Parliament.
From initiatives aimed at reversing the decline in numbers entering construction roles from the education system to programmes designed to boost diversity and capability, the Plan sets out how industry is already taking ownership of workforce challenges and how it intends to build on this success to address longstanding barriers.
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, despite the projected workforce demand in construction, less than 40% of those students go directly into employment in the sector. Without a strategy tailored specifically to home building, the UK will fall short of its housing ambitions.
Since its launch in 2023, the Sector Skills Plan has served as a blueprint for industry to address these key workforce issues. This latest iteration highlights tangible progress, with industry-led solutions already making an impact: over 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, 10 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.
Looking ahead, the Plan outlines a new mentoring approach for apprentices through ‘Site Ready Solutions’- a structured mentorship model designed to address the lack of progression for entry-level bricklayers by providing a formal development pathway. It also reaffirms HBF’s support for the expansion of NHBC Multi-Skill Hubs backed by CITB, which, once all 12 are fully operational, will support 3,000 apprenticeships annually.
The Plan’s release comes at a critical moment. While the current home building workforce is capable of meeting today’s output levels, projected housing demand will require a significant step-change. Industry estimates 239,000 new recruits will be needed within five years to meet housing targets. At the same time, the current workforce will need to upskill to comply with new regulatory standards, such as the Future Homes Standard.
Although Government has recently sought to increase support for the construction workforce, with welcome policy announcements such as the launch of Technical Excellence Colleges, apprenticeship reform, additional skills funding, these measures fall short. Many apprenticeships remain inflexible or misaligned with real-world industry demands, and small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) continue to face barriers in accessing funding, despite increasing demand for entry-level talent.
HBF is urging Government to bolster the industry’s delivery of workforce solutions with long-term investment in skills and training. This includes increased and more flexible funding for further education, ensuring that the Growth and Skills Levy works for all employers, and clearer, more accessible pathways for new entrants and career changers.
The Plan also calls on home builders and wider industry stakeholders to play their part by continuing to invest in skills development, engaging with education providers and helping scale successful initiatives. With a collaborative approach across industry, education and Government, the sector can rise to the challenge and build the capacity needed for the future.
Andy George, Director of Industry Attraction and Skills at the Home Builders Federation, 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.
“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.”
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.
“It’s been excellent working collaboratively with HBF, NHBC, and the wider industry to develop the Home Building Sector Skills Plan – this is precisely the sort of collaboration that is needed to meet the Government’s home building targets.”
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 £100m a national network of 12 new multi-skill training hubs. These hubs will provide immersive, on-site learning from day one and provide high quality apprenticeships in key trades such as bricklaying, groundwork, and site carpentry.”
“We are working hard to equip the next generation, and those re-entering the workforce, with the skills to raise standards, strengthen the industry and build quality homes for the future. We are proud to continue working in partnership with leading organisations and companies across the industry to help deliver quality training and skills-based learning.
