More than 40,000 future builders, bricklayers, electricians, carpenters and plumbers will get cutting edge skills to get Britain building at state-of-the-art Technical Excellence Colleges unveiled today (Tuesday 12 August).
The specialist colleges will be in every region of England to deliver the workforce needed to turbocharge the building of new homes, schools and hospitals, helping to realise every Brit’s dream of owning their own home.
The move will allow the industry to draw on homegrown, British talent in the years to come rather than relying on overseas workers, backing the British working class with well-paid, high skilled job opportunities.
Backed by a £100 million investment, the colleges will help deliver well-paid jobs for British workers, support the construction sector and deliver the government’s commitment to build 1.5 million homes through its Plan for Change.
Not only did the government inherit a severe shortage of housing, the UK also doesn’t have enough construction workers to start building more homes at the rate required, with figures from the Office for National Statistics showing around 35,000 job vacancies need to be plugged in the sector.
Britain cannot and should not rely on foreign labour, which is why the specialist colleges are central to delivering growth – by working closely with employers, existing colleges and local communities to make sure that the skills people are getting are in-demand and will lead to well-paid work.
The new specialist colleges announced today will train 40,000 construction learners by 2029. They will also break down barriers to opportunity, by supporting young people breaking into the sector at the start of their careers as apprentices, as well as established workers getting new skills for better paid jobs. This future proofs the economy, preserving our highly-skilled construction workforce for generations to come.
