{"id":166877,"date":"2026-10-22T10:40:46","date_gmt":"2026-10-22T09:40:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk\/news\/?p=166877"},"modified":"2026-10-22T10:40:46","modified_gmt":"2026-10-22T09:40:46","slug":"construction-jobs-plan-aims-for-100000-jobs-per-year","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk\/news\/hr-skills-news\/construction-jobs-plan-aims-for-100000-jobs-per-year\/166877\/","title":{"rendered":"Construction jobs plan aims for 100,000 jobs per year"},"content":{"rendered":"

The government has published its plan for boosting employment in the industry, with a funding package to support various sectors<\/h2>\n

The construction jobs plan has been published, outlining its aims and methods to tackle the skills shortage<\/a> that has plagued the industry for the last few years.<\/p>\n

The plan aims to support the government’s ambitions to deliver 1.5m new homes, invest \u00a3725bn in infrastructure over the next decade, and upgrade 5m existing buildings.<\/p>\n

Several issues combine to create the skills shortage<\/h3>\n

The report examines the skills shortage, and what is causing it, identifying seven key issues:<\/p>\n

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  1. Uncertainty over future work:<\/strong> Many projects find themselves stuck at the planning and procurement stages, and businesses tend to be hesitant to recruit or train new workers for jobs that aren\u2019t fully confirmed yet.<\/li>\n
  2. Ageing workforce:<\/strong> 35.1% of construction workers are aged 50+, and the industry is not keeping up with training replacements for those workers approaching retirement age, leading to either fewer skilled workers or replacement workers that have not been adequately trained.<\/li>\n
  3. Industry fragmentation:<\/strong> While larger construction companies may be more able to spend resources on apprenticeships, training, etc. SMEs, microbusinesses, sole traders, and self-employed workers often do not have the time or money for it, or to navigate the complex funding and qualification systems. This is an issue as these workers make up a large part of the industry.<\/li>\n
  4. Training is not always sufficient:<\/strong> While good on paper, many employers have reported instances of workers completing courses but not being able to translate what they\u2019ve learned into practice, harming experience, site readiness, and demonstrable competence.<\/li>\n
  5. Shortage of teachers:<\/strong> For every 100 construction teaching posts, seven are unfilled. While this does not sound like a lot, it is twice the average of the further education sector, and shows that for many trainees, there are not enough teachers.<\/li>\n
  6. Inflexible upskilling:<\/strong> Existing workers can struggle to access training that fits around their paid work, making training awkward or even impossible. This is especially true of self-employed workers working on several projects.<\/li>\n
  7. Retention, diversity, and working conditions:<\/strong> Long hours, unpredictable schedules, long travel requirements, job insecurity, unsuitable facilities, and inappropriate workplace behaviour are all cited to make it more difficult to attract new workers, as well as retain those that do come.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    What the plan intends to do<\/h3>\n

    The plan has many points about what the government will do to tackle these issues, including:<\/p>\n