Construction leaders have once again raised concerns over proposed changes to apprenticeships in England, warning that the government’s reforms could impact skills development, productivity and public safety.
In an open letter to the government, signatories representing the British Association of Construction Heads (BACH) have called for urgent action to prevent the proposed reforms from “weakening the skills pipeline, undermining workforce competency, and slowing delivery across critical national priorities”.
“We believe the changes, as currently drafted, could reduce employer confidence in training routes, constrain SME participation, and jeopardise pathways to skilled employment,” the letter adds.
“The ramifications could be seen across productivity, regional growth and public safety. We also have reservations on potential equality concerns for some learners who come from disadvantaged backgrounds.”
BACH has raised concerns that changes to apprenticeship assessments, which would include the use of sampling, risk lower quality assurance and creation of a “potential race to the bottom”.
“The reduced quality of apprenticeships, which we believe would be the result of these issues, will mean we have a regime which is second-rate in Europe and other parts of the world,” it added.
The use of ‘sampling’ within a competence-based assessment would move away from the current approach where apprentices need to demonstrate they can meet all knowledge, skills and behaviour criteria.
Under the new proposals each assessment organisation would be asked to select a smaller sample of criteria to assess and use that to infer the apprentices’ overall competence.
Industry coalition
The concerns raised by BACH echo a similar open letter published by a coalition of construction organisations in October last year.
The coalition, led by the British Woodworking Federation (BWF), called for the government to halt the changes and actively engage with the construction industry to help improve competence across the workforce.
Speaking to CM People, Helen Hewitt, BWF’s CEO, said: “I welcome the publication of the BACH letter and applaud the sector once again coming together to highlight our shared concerns regarding the future of construction skills and apprenticeships.
“The British Woodworking Federation urges policymakers to work closely with industry to refine these proposals so that apprenticeships remain a trusted route to long-term careers in construction.”
Skills England has been approached for comment.
Quite a poor piece as you don’t highlight what the changes are, this has been going on for more than 10 years during which i sat on a west wales CITB skills committee. The proposal at that time was to allow an NVQ level 2 to be a qualified person, this was rejected. The reality is that the drop out is significant and we have no registration of skill at all, unlike say Germany with TUV, that means a person with no skills can call himself a tradesman. This is where the significant problem lies and the answer to why we have defects and rogues in the industry. We already have a scheme in place to deal with registration through the CSCS card, why don’t we implement it
Deian,
When low calibre QA often waves through an NVQ L2 in Plant Operations in a single day what chance of establishing a true measure of competence?
Mick
Does anyone remember when apprenticeships lasted for five years with day release or 8 week block release at a Technical College? That all got messed up when dear leader Harold Wilson changed the age of majority to 18. Whatever scheme is to be used now must bear in mind that this government will give the age of majority on leaving school. So how long can be training given before the craftsman rate is demanded. That’s why, together with sub-contracting, why their are very few properly trained craftsmen out there now. Only got themselves to blame when they can’t build 1.5m houses.
I started my indentured bricklaying
apprenticeship in 1978, it was a structured training, over 2.5 years on new build housing, being taught by the same 2 old bricklayers, 6 months on re-vites and 2 months on “boring” maintenance.
I did 1 day a week at Technical college and obtained a City and Guilds in brickwork.
I continued study at night school.
It was only just enough, after another 5 years I was a bricklayer.
Compare that with the NVQ “ lark”, where “sub-contractors take on apprentices, not main contractors.
That’s why there is a skills shortage.
Like all industries in this country it was undervalued and underpaid.
You reap what you sow, as the saying goes.
I fully endorse the comments from Antony Callaghan above
I had an Joinery apprenticeship with the best contractor in the North of England Tysons. Your whole career was mapped out over a 4 year period with training as second to none. During these 4 years it was spent with the same group of skilled works from Joinery through to the site management
Training was held at Riversdale collage and Liverpool collage of Building doing block release through to ONC and CIOB management.
This education was the start of my 50 years in the construction industry from an apprentice to the role of Project Leader running 300M projects
The down fall of this industry was for me the period of the LUMP and the reduction of apprenticeship training from 4 years now down to a quick skills test at the CITB. Its now an absolute joke and insult to all the hardworking people who have been through the very low periods of the Construction Industry and now the introduction of CSCS has further downgraded the industry to the point were thousands of great tradesmen have left this industry and opened the door for none qualified people to say they have the skills to support the targets being set across by the government to build new homes which as now seen is impossible to achieve as we don’t have the people or management
David Murphy MCIOB 15th January 26
A few decades too late in realising that, been seriously watered down. a poorly skilled/trained workforce passing on bad workmanship to apprentices- they just assume what they see is acceptable. too many smaller employers do not take on apprentices as they leave as soon as they are “time served”
Don’t worry the army of Tesla Humanoid Robots will come to our rescue ;)