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Construction professionals urged to train next generation
Nicky Roger Associate editor
Experienced construction professionals are being encouraged to move into further education teaching as new analysis highlights pressure on the sector’s training capacity.
The government is urging construction professionals to consider teaching. Image: Auremar | Dreamstime.com
Construction professionals are being urged to consider careers in further education (FE) to help train the next generation of workers as demand for skills continues to grow.
New analysis from the Department for Education, published as part of its Local Builders, Local Futures initiative, highlights pressure on construction teaching capacity in colleges alongside the sector’s growing workforce requirements.
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The analysis estimates that England’s construction sector will need approximately 36,340 additional workers each year, increasing the importance of colleges having sufficient teaching capacity to prepare people for careers in the industry.
The findings bring together FE workforce data, Construction Industry Training Board forecasts and Office for National Statistics workforce data to identify where experienced construction professionals could help strengthen the skills pipeline.
Experienced professionals sought
The DfE is encouraging experienced builders, tradespeople and other construction professionals to consider moving into FE, where they can use their industry knowledge to train learners.
Colleges are seeking professionals from across construction and the built environment, including bricklayers, carpenters, plumbers, electricians, plasterers, site managers, quantity surveyors and those with civil or structural engineering experience.
Previous teaching experience is not necessarily required. Colleges can support successful applicants to gain a teaching qualification while working, allowing them to begin passing on their industry knowledge while developing their teaching skills.
Saad Farooq, a former construction professional who now trains students
Saad Farooq, a former construction professional who now trains students at London Design Engineering UTC, said his move into FE had allowed him to put his industry experience to use.
“Coming back to train others at the same college where I studied has been incredibly rewarding,” he said.
Farooq said his experience helped students understand what working in the built environment was like, while allowing him to share different career pathways and explain what employers were looking for.
“One of the most rewarding parts of the role is seeing people grow in confidence and progress into employment,” he added.
Addressing construction’s skills needs
The campaign is being backed by CITB chief executive Tim Balcon, who said experienced construction professionals had an important role to play in addressing the sector’s skills needs.
“England’s construction sector needs skilled workers to support future growth, but it also needs experienced people who can help train them,” he said.
Balcon added that the practical experience built up by construction professionals throughout their careers was “exactly what further education colleges are looking for”.
“Teaching in further education doesn’t mean leaving the industry behind,” he said. “It’s an opportunity to share the skills and expertise that matter most on site, inspire the next generation and help build the workforce the construction sector needs for the future.”
The DfE campaign forms part of the government’s wider plans to train up to 60,000 additional construction workers by 2029, alongside its ambition to deliver 1.5 million homes by the end of the current Parliament.
The analysis identifies construction, alongside engineering and manufacturing, health and social care, and digital and IT, as one of the sectors where FE trainers are particularly in demand.
FE teaching roles can be full-time, part-time or flexible, with some professionals able to gain teaching qualifications while working.
The DfE said practical experience is highly valued in FE, particularly in construction courses where learners often develop skills through workshops and other hands-on settings.
