Whilst for many years we talked about a construction skills crisis, prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, the built environment sector was on the cusp of feeling the benefits of government backed schemes to develop the pipeline of skills it required.
With the investment of housing stock being a core element of the National Infrastructure Strategy, in 2019 £22m was invested in the skills needed to deliver on the projected need for 300,000 new homes a year for five years. Adding to this was the introduction of the Government Apprenticeship Levy and further skills investment through localised projects linked to Local Enterprise Partnership skills and economic development strategies e.g. £11m in London. Both Homes and the skills to build were a priority for Government; understandably, these are less of a priority while they respond to the health crisis.Although the built environment sector is supporting its members through the crisis, it’s important that we do what we can to maintain the momentum on skills. It’s imperative that we don’t lose what we have gained and that we maintain an open dialogue on how industry is retaining its new entrants and in particular given the struggles on attracting them in the first place, what support is being given to young people and apprentices. This is probably the most challenging time the sector has had to endure, but we are optimistic that it will find its way through the new normal and deliver the housing stock the country requires. If youth organizations, training providers and the sector itself remain committed to navigating the challenges together, we will be in a good place to relieve the pressure on the skills we need to get the sites up and running again.
