Nicola Hodkinson argues that apprenticeships remain one of construction’s greatest drivers of social mobility, but warns that current policy and economic structures are preventing employers from delivering them at scale.
Construction can, and should, be one of the UK’s greatest engines of social mobility. Few sectors offer the same opportunity to build a meaningful career without traditional academic routes, allowing people to earn while they learn and progress from apprentice to leader.
Yet despite constant discussion about skills shortages, the industry faces a contradiction that policymakers must confront.
Last year at Seddon, we received 2,694 applications for just 20 roles. The demand from young people is there and the willingness from employers is real. Yet we still cannot train enough apprentices.
The construction industry does not lack young people who want apprenticeships – it lacks a system designed to let employers offer them.
Apprenticeships have the power to transform lives and strengthen regional economies, but the framework supporting them has largely been built around sectors with stable workplaces and predictable employment models. Construction operates differently. Until policy reflects that reality, skills shortages will persist regardless of how often employers are urged to do more.
Real pathways to opportunity
When apprenticeships work, their impact is profound. I have witnessed many apprentices who have progressed from trades into senior roles throughout the business. These journeys demonstrate that apprenticeships are not simply a route into employment, but a pathway to leadership and long-term progression.
At Seddon, we have supported care leavers through placements and apprenticeships, in line with our commitment to the Care Leavers Covenant. Many young people leaving care lack the guidance and support when entering employment. By providing dedicated support and training to managers to understand their challenges, we ensure that they have a fair chance to build a career.
Apprenticeships remove barriers to entry by allowing individuals to earn while gaining recognised qualifications and practical experience. For those who succeed through hands-on learning, including the many neurodiverse individuals working successfully across our industry, construction provides an alternative route into skilled professions and long-term financial security.
Construction as a force for social mobility
Beyond apprenticeships benefiting individuals, construction delivers jobs where people live, supporting towns and regions that need investment and stability. Every apprentice trained represents not only a career built, but a local economy strengthened. Skilled trades offer long-term financial security and the potential for progression into supervisory and leadership roles, creating lasting opportunities for families and communities.
If we invest in people now, construction can continue to be a pathway to prosperity for individuals, communities and the country.
Employers want apprenticeships, but cannot take them
Despite these successes, structural challenges within the industry continue to limit the full impact of apprenticeships for social mobility. Construction employers know they need to recruit more apprentices. Most want to, but many cannot.
Unlike sectors with a single workplace, construction is project-based. Work moves between sites, regions and clients. Apprentices must transition between projects, supervisors and teams while maintaining consistent training and oversight. Apprenticeship systems designed around permanent workplaces struggle to fit this model.
Confidence is another barrier. Apprenticeships require a multi-year commitment in an industry where future workload visibility rarely extends beyond the next contract cycle. Without certainty over pipeline and procurement, long-term employment commitments become commercially risky.
Construction is also a low-margin, high-risk industry. Training an apprentice demands intensive supervision, investment in safety and reduced productivity long before an individual contributes commercially. Training therefore represents an upfront cost carried by employers in an environment where margins are tight and risk exposure is high.
At the same time, construction experiences inevitable peaks and troughs in workload. During quieter periods, employers must continue to carry employment and training costs even when projects slow. Many businesses cannot absorb that financial burden. The result is predictable: employers hesitate to expand permanent workforces and apprenticeships decline alongside direct employment.
This is not a failure of intent, but a system misaligned with industry reality.
What needs to change
If the UK is serious about rebuilding skills capacity, a different approach is required.
Government support will be essential to kick-start apprentice intake at the scale needed. Targeted financial support during the early stages of apprenticeship employment would help offset supervision costs, reduce risk for employers and enable businesses to rebuild training pipelines.
Alongside this, policymakers must consider more flexible apprenticeship delivery models suited to project-based industries and provide greater pipeline visibility through long-term procurement planning.
Most importantly, the government must review whether the tax and national insurance framework is unintentionally incentivising self-employment over PAYE employment. Until direct employment becomes commercially viable at scale, apprenticeship growth will remain constrained regardless of policy ambition.
Construction employers stand ready to train the next generation. But encouragement alone will not overcome structural barriers.
Driving social mobility and regional growth
Apprenticeships sit at the intersection of skills, opportunity and regional growth. They provide income stability and access to professions that might otherwise feel inaccessible. When construction invests in people, it builds a workforce that is not only skilled but resilient, capable of supporting long-term economic development across the UK.
Investing in apprenticeships today strengthens our industry tomorrow. But to unlock their full potential, there must be government support to make this change. By creating the right employment models, construction can remain a pathway to prosperity for individuals, communities and the regions we serve.
Nicola Hodkinson is owner of Seddon.
