It’s not news to any of us that there’s a shortage of skills in the construction industry, but there are signs of hope on the horizon with multiple new schemes to inspire and train the UK’s young people.
A hands-on building trade “taster programme” in Staffordshire is one such scheme, and a college in Cornwall has expanded its construction training facilities to meet demand from local youngsters.
With 35% of UK construction workers aged 50 or above, and 750,000 workers due to retire by 2036, these kinds of schemes are much needed.
The Staffordshire-based programme is organised by youth charity The Hubb Foundation and construction training organisation The Spark Group, and has seen teenagers trying out different trades during their school holidays. Aimed at 13 to 16-year-olds from deprived backgrounds, participants are taught the basics of plumbing, woodwork, painting and decorating, and electrical skills. The four initial courses have been fully booked, showing positive demand for these kinds of schemes.
Truro & Penwith College in Cornwall now has around 400 students taking construction-based courses. With the annual house-building target set at an ambitious 4,421 homes for the county, they will certainly need all the construction workers they can get.
The UK government has put in place a number of initiatives to support growth in the construction sector, including the Growth and Skills Levy, which replaces the Apprenticeship Levy. The newer levy increases training investment, although the knock-on effect is increased costs for employers. The government is also working with the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) and the National House-Building Council (NHBC) to create 32 homebuilding skills hubs or training centres to train the next generation of tradespeople.
The training centres will provide a realistic working environment for trades including roofers, bricklayers, plasterers, scaffolders, electricians and carpenters. Hubs will be created in areas where additional construction workers are most needed. These fast-track apprenticeships will be completed in 12-18 months, as opposed to the usual 24-30 months for a traditional construction apprenticeship. The government says all hubs will be in action by 2028.
There can be a lot of negativity in the news, so it’s good to hear about this level of enthusiasm for the trades from the younger generation, along with investment in more training centres. However, there are many pressures on the sector, not least the rising costs involved. The UK’s construction workforce shrank by more than 300,000 workers between 2005 and 2025. An estimated 2.07 million people worked in construction in 2025, compared with 2.38 million in 2005, yet we need to build many more homes than we currently do.
I can’t help but think that this challenge needs a multi-faceted approach, from changing the image of construction work to attract more young people, to increasing UK-based production of building materials to at least partially insulate ourselves from economic shocks caused by global events.
This is a complex problem, but one that can hopefully be turned around with the right approach. For a cohort of young people potentially worried about AI taking their jobs, learning a trade seems like a sensible option, as I think we’re some distance away from robot bricklayers and roofers being a viable option for building houses.
It would be helpful if everyone involved in construction, including architects and designers, could do their bit by encouraging youngsters to get involved in the industry. If we all demonstrate what a rewarding and satisfying career this can be, and share more about our own experience, I believe we can create a sea change. I’ve done my bit to encourage the next generation: my daughter has become a structural engineer and my son is a mechanical engineer, which has made me a very proud dad.
What do you think about the shortage of workers in construction? Are we doing enough to attract people to the industry at every level? It would be good to hear your thoughts.
In the meantime, if you need any assistance with the structural elements of an upcoming project, please do get in touch.
