FMB’s Build Academy has been shortlisted for a BPIC Network Award, recognising its work connecting young Londoners with construction apprenticeships, employers and real-world industry experience
A quarter of Londoners have no idea that an apprenticeship can provide a route into construction after GCSEs. Now, the FMB’s Build Academy scheme, designed to close that gap, has been nominated for a Black Professionals in Construction (BPIC) Network Award.
Tom Peardon, London director at the Federation of Master Builders, explained: “Apprenticeships are a fantastic option, but more needs to be done to make young people aware of the opportunities available to them.
“Build Academy has spent a year proving this approach works, and this nomination belongs as much to the members who opened their sites as to the learners who backed a pilot before anyone knew what it could become.”
Build Academy helps parts of the sector that struggle to recruit new talent
Awareness of construction apprenticeships in the capital is the lowest anywhere in the UK, with a quarter of Londoners unaware that an apprenticeship offers a route into the industry.
Build Academy gives young people a direct pathway into construction apprenticeships and employment with small building companies, which often struggle to recruit and retain new talent.
Gaining invaluable knowledge through experienced tradespeople
When asked what could change their perception of construction as a career, 32% of Londoners said meeting successful tradespeople.
Through Build Academy, learners do exactly that, working alongside experienced professionals through placements, employer masterclasses and site-based learning, giving them access to valuable industry role models.
The academy is also helping construction better reflect the communities it serves. Half of Build Academy learners come from an ethnic minority background, compared with a construction industry average of 6%, according to CITB analysis.
“Too many young people simply don’t see the industry as an option, particularly if they have no family connection to construction or have never had the opportunity to meet someone working in the sector. Build Academy changes that by putting employers at the heart of the learner experience,” stated Sunny Bamra, programme director at Build Academy.
“Our learners are not just learning about construction in a classroom; they are working alongside tradespeople, experiencing real sites and meeting employers who can see their potential.
“That relationship is what turns interest into aspiration, and aspiration into an apprenticeship or a job.”
Funding and development for Build Academy was a collaborative effort
Launched by the FMB’s London Board in partnership with Geoff Osborne, Principal of Shooters Hill Sixth Form College, Build Academy was developed with significant CITB funding.
FMB members helped shape the curriculum, while learners had the opportunity to experience real construction environments, explore different trades, and build relationships with potential employers.
Geoff Osborne, Principal of Shooters Hill Sixth Form College, said: “A year ago these were students joining a pilot that nobody could guarantee would work. Today they are apprentices, earning and working with firms that want to keep them.”
He concluded: “That happened because FMB members gave up their time to shape what we taught and opened their sites to our learners. Colleges cannot do this on their own; this is what it looks like when education and industry work together with a shared purpose.”
Build Academy is shortlisted in the Best Innovation category at the BPIC Network Awards, with the winner announced at the ceremony on 4 December.
