The Home Builders Federation (HBF) has launched the latest iteration of its Home Building Sector Skills Plan to attract, retain and train the workforce needed to achieve the government’s 1.5 million new homes target.
The Plan aims to reverse the declining numbers of people entering construction roles as well as boost diversity and capability, addressing longstanding barriers that have resulted in the skills shortage in the construction industry.
The HBF is calling on the government to provide more direct support for home-building careers. Recent data show that while 100,000 students may be enrolled in construction courses at any one time, less than 40% of those go directly into employment in the sector.
Since its launch in 2023, the Sector Skills Plan has served as a blueprint for the 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 housebuilding 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 the 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 as the 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 the 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 and additional skills funding, the HBF warns these measures fall short. Many apprenticeships remain inflexible or misaligned with real-world industry demands, and SMEs continue to face barriers in accessing funding, despite increasing demand for entry-level talent.
The HBF is urging the 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 housebuilders 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 the 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 housebuilding 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 the 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 £40million to the establishment of Homebuilding Skills Hubs, which will train thousands of homebuilding apprentices. Earlier this year, CITB also invested £32million as part of the government’s £600million 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 housebuilding 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 £100million in 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.”
