Andy George, director of industry attraction and skills at the HBF, explains the benefits of housebuilding companies being proactively involved in creating the best Further Education (FE) construction skills courses.
Last month, I wrote about the importance of closer collaboration between home builders and Further Education (FE) colleges to ensure that full-time students on construction courses are ‘work-ready’.
However, if we are serious about strengthening the construction skills pipeline, industry must take a more proactive role in supporting education providers and students at the very beginning of their journey into the sector to boost the conversion of students who successfully enter the workforce. This is particularly important as the sector faces a projected need for 240,000 additional workers by 2029, which will require it to ensure it is retaining the young people who enter from school.
This was one of the major objectives behind the HBF Partner a College programme, created to strengthen partnerships between home builders and FE colleges. One of the most consistent messages we heard from across the industry was that early and future talent was often arriving on site without a clear understanding of the realities and expectations of working within that environment.
As a result, the programme supports both construction course content development and delivery, ensuring that students gain knowledge aligned with modern building site standards alongside the practical skills needed to succeed in the industry.
Crucially, attracting and retaining more young people in homebuilding requires more than qualifications alone; learners must also leave further education with a clear understanding of the workplace, industry expectations and what is needed to build a successful career.
Site readiness and employability should be integrated into the construction curriculum
While students in construction courses in FE are well-versed in the technical competencies required for their roles, being work-ready requires more than practical knowledge alone. Learners need to understand the behaviours and expectations that underpin a safe, productive and proficient working environment.
This includes essential workplace skills such as good timekeeping, clear communication, working effectively as part of a team, resolving conflict, taking responsibility for health and safety and knowing how to respond when things do not go to plan. Developing these skills alongside technical competence can help learners make a more confident transition from the classroom to the realities of work.
Many colleges are already embedding practical site experience into their courses, but there is an opportunity to place greater emphasis on preparing learners for the day-to-day expectations they will encounter when they enter the industry.
Greater involvement from construction employers can help ensure this preparation reflects current industry standards, whether through training in areas such as site safety, manual handling, risk assessment, working at height and safe tool use, or by giving learners a better understanding of how these requirements are applied in practice.
Colleges do include employability skills such as mock interviews and employer talks; however, we should stretch this and encourage industry experts working alongside college tutors to be bold and deliver joined-up activities which have more of a focus on those practical skills which employers value. This could include delivering site-ready training workshops such as building site expectations and appropriate health and safety awareness training.
Bringing this industry insight into the curriculum can help ensure learners leave FE with relevant skills and give employers a stronger pool of candidates.
Industry and FE collaborating for a smoother transition to on-site working
The partnership between home builder Taylor Wimpey and Moreton Morrell College, part of Warwickshire College Group (WCG), demonstrates how employers and FE providers can work together to better prepare students for the transition into on-site roles. Through the Partner a College programme, Taylor Wimpey supports bricklaying students, both apprentices and full-time learners, to develop in a training hub environment that reflects the realities and expectations of the workplace.
This collaboration culminated in the launch of a new state-of-the-art workshop as part of the college’s Centre of Excellence for Bricklaying and Carpenters, helping to align vocational education with the skills and standards needed across the industry. The aim is to ensure students leave college not just with a qualification, but with the practical knowledge, confidence and understanding needed to be site-ready.
The partnership also highlights the wider value of employer involvement in FE, with activities such as specialist safety training enriching the curriculum and giving learners a clearer understanding of workplace expectations and how to prepare for employment.
Michelle Reid, divisional apprentice manager at Taylor Wimpey Midlands, said: “The partnership between Taylor Wimpey and Moreton Morrell College has given students valuable insight into the home building industry, helping them to develop their practical skills and gain a better understanding of what it is like to work on a construction site.
“Working with industry professionals gives learners the opportunity to build their skills and confidence, while also understanding what employers expect from them. This hands-on experience helps students feel better prepared to move from college into employment.
“At Taylor Wimpey, we recognise the importance of supporting the next generation of skilled construction professionals. Working closely with colleges such as Moreton Morrell gives us an opportunity to share our industry knowledge and help learners develop the skills, experience and confidence they need to begin their careers in construction.”
John Billings, head of school for Construction, Moreton Morrell College (part of WCG): “Partnering with Taylor Wimpey through the partner college scheme at Moreton Morrell has been transformative for our students and staff alike. By working shoulder-to-shoulder with industry leaders, our curriculum now directly reflects the needs of employers. It equips our students with a true understanding of what to expect on site, preparing them to meet the high standards of the industry and establishing our learners as the future workforce for local skills needs.
Delivering targeted, high-level training alongside their chosen trade course ensures our students leave us site-ready, highly skilled, and immediately employable. This direct link to industry has already paved the way for valuable work experience, job offers, and apprenticeships. Beyond those immediate outcomes, seeing their peers progress into real-world roles has injected incredible enthusiasm across our full-time courses – showing students firsthand where hard work and extra training can take them. Ultimately, this collaboration not only elevates our students’ career prospects but also continually upskills our teaching staff, keeping our provision at the cutting edge of the sector.”
Making work-readiness a shared responsibility
The construction industry cannot afford to leave the transition from education to employment to chance. If we are to attract and retain the next generation of talent, employers and FE colleges need to work together to ensure students understand not only how to do the job, but what it means to work in the industry.
The Partner a College programme shows what can be achieved when employers and education providers bring their expertise together, but this approach needs to become more widespread. Work readiness is not a final step at the end of the course; it should be built throughout the learner journey from the first conversation about careers to the first
