Skills

Big hitters in the construction industry are working on a major new collaboration aimed at promoting the UK construction industry to secondary school children. Specialist firm the School Outreach Company is working with senior sector figures on plans to raise £100,000 with the aim of creating a network of five…

The construction sector in England saw a 6 per cent year-on-year drop in apprenticeship starts last year, according to the latest government figures. Figures compiled by the Department for Education (DfE) state that 24,530 workers started construction, planning and the built environment apprenticeships in 2022/23. This represented a fall from…

The government wants to increase the amount of construction training on traditional building methods and materials to help retrofit old homes. In a review of the barriers to improving energy efficiency in listed and conservation-area homes, three departments jointly highlight workforce shortages as a major issue for carrying out retrospective…

Construction businesses have reacted in dismay to government proposals to make it harder for foreign workers to come to the UK. Home secretary James Cleverly this week announced plans to make legal migration to the UK tougher, with changes he claimed would have stopped 300,000 people crossing the border last…

Reforms are needed to boost the number of electricians, which is essential for the UK to deliver on its pledge to become net zero by 2050, a new report has warned. The Electrical Contractors’ Association (ECA) launched its Recharging Electrical Skills Charter at an event in the Houses of Parliament…

Competent fire-safety professionals could become overloaded with work due to delays in upskilling the profession, leading to safety risks, according to a senior industry professional. Nick Pickles, systems and assurance leader for passive fire protection at Laing O’Rourke, delivered the stark warning during a panel session at last week’s London…

The Home Builders Federation (HBF) has secured funding to expand a major upskilling initiative. The HBF’s Home Building Skills Partnership will use funds from the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) to deliver hundreds more brickwork masterclasses and roll out new roofing masterclasses. The £320,000 funding is in addition to a…

The vast majority of adults in the UK would not consider a career in construction, a survey has found. The poll, carried out for Deconstruction – a campaign aimed at improving perceptions of the construction industry – by YouGov found that 69 per cent of UK adults would not contemplate…

Major installer bodies have launched a coalition body that is working on a plan to address the green-skills crisis. The new Engineering and Building Services Skills Authority (EBSSA) will bring together existing members of engineering-services alliance Actuate UK with other bodies, including energy-infrastructure-technologies trade association BEAMA and the Chartered Institute…

The next vote on plans for the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) levy has been delayed by a year, amid a Whitehall review of the body’s future. Under a policy known as consensus, the organisation puts its plans for the amount companies must pay to an industry vote every three…