The Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) has launched an accelerated apprenticeship programme aimed at increasing the supply of skilled workers for housebuilding and addressing regional construction skills shortages.
The initiative forms part of CITB’s wider support package for the government’s target to build 1.5 million homes by 2029. It is expected to deliver 1,680 apprenticeship starts over the next four years in key homebuilding trades, including bricklaying, carpentry and roofing.
The programme will allow apprentices to complete their training in 14 to 18 months, compared with the typical two to three years. CITB said the shorter duration will be achieved through intensive early-stage training combined with block-release learning and onsite work experience.
An initial five programmes will be established through further education colleges and training providers in areas with high housing demand and identified skills gaps: Greater Manchester, West Yorkshire, the West Midlands, Kent, and Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire. CITB plans to expand this to 20 programmes by mid-2029.
The training body said the model is designed to increase apprenticeship uptake, improve completion rates and provide employers with a faster route to recruit skilled workers.
The programme follows the establishment of new strategic partnerships between CITB and mayoral authorities across England and will support the delivery of Local Skills Improvement Plans. It will also contribute to a National Construction Mayoral Network that CITB expects to launch later this year.
Participating colleges and training providers will receive set-up funding of up to £33,625 per programme, alongside apprenticeship funding and employer support through CITB’s New Entrant Support Team (NEST).
Housing needs require a ‘step change’
Tim Balcon, chief executive of CITB, said: “Meeting the scale of the UK’s housing need requires a step change in how we train people for construction careers. Accelerated Apprenticeships are a key part of that shift – helping more people gain the skills they need more quickly, and in the areas where they are most needed.
“As an industry, we need to place greater focus on outcomes – ensuring that apprenticeships lead to sustained, high-quality employment. That’s how we build a workforce that is not only larger, but more resilient for the future.”
The launch comes as the construction sector faces ongoing labour shortages, with industry bodies warning that tens of thousands of additional workers will be needed to meet housing and infrastructure targets over the coming years.
and we wonder why so many new homes have multitude issues. the workforce coming into the trade in the last few years have had barely 2 years to ‘learn’ a trade- got news for you they don’t. A trades person can problem solve on the job. My experience (55 years in construction and education) is that the quality they produce is minimum or less and no one takes them to task about as they leave for another site and continue. CITB historically can choose the best entrants as often they are the ones with the Keyskill level required. My college struggled to fill a class of apprentices after application sifted those with no keyskills and no real hope of achieving them. The real change will come when we realise these skills are not necessary to the training of a trade and can and will be picked up as the persons career goes forth. So a fully fledged and skilled worker from nothing in 14 months? you are having a laugh. Won’t be rushing to buy a new home any time soon.
Apprenticeships have been whittled down in the past – result – poorly trained people in the workforce with a depreciation in skills and workmanship. this has just filtered down the workforce with a lower standard assumed to be acceptable. the other problem that wont go away is loyalty to an employer. Get a Trade, Get a van and start up a new business – where is the incentive to take on apprentices???
I have always said that this went wrong with Harold Wilson reducing the age of majority to 18. So now with a further reduction it is all going wrong. The problem will be that apprenticeship providers will be the ones that realise it is going wrong but the office bound organisers will keep ploughing on with a useless scheme, which won’t be corrected until too late. But then they don’t care, we builders do and its time to come up with a proper training scheme NOW ,not later because by then it will be too late and we will have no-one capable of carrying out what are real skills that are not appreciated by people other than builders.