Body warns industry skills need to match ambition
The government’s drive to deliver 1.5 million new homes must be accompanied by a major expansion of training and recruitment if targets are to be met, NHBC will warn at the Labour Party Conference on Sunday.
David Campbell, chief operating officer of NHBC, is expected to tell delegates that the sector requires a workforce boost of more than 250,000 by 2028 to meet current levels of demand, let alone the government’s planned increase in output. He will argue that the slogan “build, baby, build” must be matched by a national effort to “skill, baby, skill.”
NHBC has announced a £100m investment in 12 new multi-skill training hubs across the UK. Each hub will train around 3,000 apprentices annually in trades such as bricklaying, groundworks and site carpentry. The first hub, in Lichfield, has already opened in partnership with the Construction Industry Training Board and Barratt Redrow, producing site-ready workers in 14 to 18 months – significantly faster than traditional education routes.
Campbell will also highlight findings from NHBC’s latest Foundation report, which shows that periods of high build volume have historically coincided with falling customer satisfaction. Expanding and upskilling the workforce, he argues, is essential to maintaining quality alongside quantity.
Recent government measures, including £625m for construction skills, the creation of a Construction Skills Mission Board, and a £3bn apprenticeship budget, have been welcomed by NHBC. However, Campbell will emphasise that only sustained collaboration between industry and government can secure the workforce needed to deliver new homes at scale.
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