National Apprenticeship Week is an opportunity to celebrate how vital apprenticeships are to developing a skilled, competent and safety-conscious workforce, writes Helen Hewitt.
At a time of skills shortages, an ageing workforce and heightened regulatory scrutiny, the importance of apprenticeships has never been clearer.
But the government’s proposed reforms could significantly alter how they are delivered and assessed – diluting the characteristics that make them effective and the competence of individuals completing them.
Learning that reflects the reality of construction
Apprenticeships combine structured learning with sustained, real-world experience. Competence is built over time, through repeated application on live sites and in workshops, across varied environments, crucially under supervision.
According to The Big Apprentice Survey 2024, 74% of apprentices say gaining practical experience alongside a qualification is the most valuable part of their training, while 46% identify hands-on experience as the single most important element.
In construction, skills must be demonstrated, not simply learnt in a classroom.
Beyond technical ability, apprenticeships instil the professional behaviours that drive safe working practices and production of high-quality work. This is increasingly important in light of the Building Safety Act, which has sharpened expectations around demonstrable competence.
Currently, apprenticeships provide a credible, structured route to achieving that standard – but government reforms are putting the future of apprenticeships and the competence of construction professionals at risk.
Reform and the risk of unintended consequences
Proposals to reduce minimum durations and introduce “sampling” within competence-based assessment pose a serious threat to standards and the industry.
In trades such as carpentry and joinery, apprentices currently evidence competence against 70 knowledge and skills criteria. Reducing this breadth – by up to 70% – risks dumbing down competence in a sector that regularly works with life safety products. It could effectively put the safety of future building users at risk.
Apprenticeships are a recognised route to competence within CSCS frameworks, which are used nationwide to access sites. If standards are weakened, that recognition could be withdrawn, removing a trusted route to site access and destabilising workforce planning.
Uncertainty is already influencing employer behaviour, with some delaying or completely halting apprenticeship recruitment.
At a time when the industry must scale up to deliver homes and infrastructure, this puts increasing pressure on our industry as we tackle an ongoing skills shortage.
Protecting what works
To challenge these damaging reforms, which will erode competence standards, the British Woodworking Federation established the Construction Coalition, which is now backed by more than 30 organisations across the built environment.
Through collective action, the Coalition has already secured a pause on construction-related apprenticeship changes and a seat at the table with Skills England’s Construction Taskforce. While this is a step forward, there has been no indication of resolution, with industry and employers still lacking assurance that standards will be protected.
As the government seeks to accelerate housebuilding and strengthen safety, it must recognise that competence cannot be fast-tracked. Rigorous apprenticeships are not a barrier to growth, they are its foundation.
The government must act now, listening and working in genuine partnership with employers and sector experts to safeguard competence, safety and the long-term resilience of the industry.
Helen Hewitt is CEO of the British Woodworking Federation.
