Government targets construction as it outlines apprenticeship tweaks
The government is hoping that changes to apprenticeships will encourage their take-up in the construction sector, helping it to achieve its target of building 1.5 million homes by the end of this parliament.
Under reforms announced by education secretary Bridget Phillipson, businesses will be able to decide whether adult applicants aged over 19 will need to complete a level two English and maths qualification (equivalent to a GCSE) to qualify.
At the same time, the minimum duration of an apprenticeship will be reduced from one year to eight months.
The changes to the English and maths requirements come into effect immediately, while those on the minimum length will be introduced from August.
The government hopes that 10,000 more apprentices will be able to qualify per year as a result of the changes.
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Although Skills England, the new nationwide body for skills, is yet to define and prioritise shortage occupations, the government believes these will be hugely beneficial to construction, a high-demand sector with an urgent need for qualified workers.
Mark Farmer, chief executive of Cast Consultancy, who recently led a review into construction training for the Construction Industry Training Board, described the proposed changes as “good news”.
He posted on LinkedIn: “We need to shift towards high quality, shorter and front loaded training focused on work readiness, basic occupational competency and productivity.”
There have been a number of recruitment drives in the sector over the past 12 months. Earlier this year, Inside Housing launched its Housing Hires campaign to promote the social housing sector as a place to work and support people to find and develop careers at housing associations and councils.
At the end of last year, landlords in Manchester set a target to recruit 20% of their staff from social housing tenants by 2034.
Ms Phillipson said: “Growing the economy and opportunity for all are fundamental missions of our Plan for Change, and we are determined to support apprentices throughout this National Apprenticeship Week and beyond.
“Businesses have been calling out for change to the apprenticeship system and these reforms show that we are listening. Our new offer of shorter apprenticeships and less red tape strikes the right balance between speed and quality, helping achieve our number-one mission to grow the economy.
“Skills England will be a major driver in addressing the skills gaps needed to support employers up and down the country and I look forward to working with the new leadership.”
The education secretary also confirmed that Phil Smith will chair Skills England.
He said: “I know from my time in industry how valuable direct engagement from employers can be in shaping government policy.
“We need a dynamic skills system that can drive economic growth, and I’m excited to be involved in shaping Skills England as part of that.”
Skills England will bring together key partners to meet the skills needs of the next decade across all regions of England. More than 700 stakeholders have already been engaged to identify shortages and provide strong strategic direction for the skills system.
In the past few months, the National House Building Council announced that it will invest £100m in the first tranche of 32 new skills hubs planned by the government that will deliver fast-track training across the UK.
Places for People revealed in October that it had set up a new training programme for the housing and construction sector, with an aim to train more than 200 apprentices in the first year.
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