The Thermal Insulation Contractors Association (TICA) has warned that government skills reforms risk weakening training provision for specialist trades in the construction industry.
The trade body has raised concerns that the proposed policy could undermine the strength and value of training routes designed specifically for specialist sectors such as thermal insultation.
Over the past 12 months, the trade association has recorded its highest ever apprentice course enrolments and has issued 655 TICA Skill Cards, providing formal proof of individuals’ qualifications.
TICA CEO Marion Marsland said the record enrolment numbers are “a clear sign that both apprentices and employers recognise the importance of high-quality, specialist training”.
“This, in turn, underpins and promotes the high levels of competency our industry relies on,” Marsland added.
“However, at a time when the construction sector is facing acute skills shortages, government policy must support this type of provision and not risk undermining it.”
Post-16 education concerns
Marsland has previously raised concerns over the government’s Post-16 Education and Skills white paper, which proposes creating 10 technical excellence colleges in each region of England by 2029.
While acknowledging the ambition to boost construction skills, she has argued that concentrating funding and focus on a small number of existing colleges could dilute or duplicate existing specialist provision and sideline niche trades.
Any move to shorten programmes or weaken assessments risks devaluing the very system that underpins construction safety and quality
“Quality training happens right across the UK, not just in 10 locations,” she added. “If we’re serious about closing the construction industry’s skills gap, including thermal insulation, we need consistent investment and recognition for all high-quality training providers.”
Marsland has also joined more than 20 industry leaders in signing an open letter to the prime minister opposing proposals to shorten apprenticeship programmes to eight months and introduce a reduced end-point assessment based on sampling rather than full testing.
The letter warns that the reforms pose a serious threat to competence and safety across the workforce.
“Apprenticeships are about building genuine competence, and any move to shorten programmes or weaken assessments risks devaluing the very system that underpins construction safety and quality,” Marsland said.
“Our members work in complex, safety-critical environments and the workforce must be trained and tested to the highest standards. Anything less puts people and projects at risk.”
