HBF Sector Skills Plan aims to ‘develop a resilient workforce for growing demand’

The Home Builders Federation (HBF) has launched the latest iteration of its Home Building Sector Skills Plan. This updated strategy sets out a roadmap for attracting, retaining and training the workforce needed to deliver 1.5 million new homes during this Parliament.

From initiatives aimed at reversing the decline in numbers entering construction roles, to programmes designed to boost diversity and capability, the Plan sets out how the industry is taking ownership of workforce challenges and how it intends to address longstanding barriers.

HBF says Government is at risk of losing talent if it does not direct more support into homebuilding careers. While 100,000 students may be enrolled in Further Education construction courses at any one time, less than 40% of those students go directly into employment in the sector. 

This latest Sector Skills Plan highlights tangible progress, with industry-led solutions already making an impact: over 15,000 tradespeople have benefitted from fully-funded brickwork and roofing masterclasses and more than 200 women have received guidance on home building careers via the Women into Home Building programme. 

Meanwhile, 10 colleges and eight home builders are engaged in the national ‘Partner a College’ pilot, which aims to improve student employability through greater collaboration between employers and education providers.

The Plan also outlines ‘Site Ready Solutions’ – a mentorship model designed to address the lack of progression for entry-level bricklayers by providing a formal development pathway. It also reaffirms HBF’s support for the expansion of NHBC Multi-Skill Hubs backed by CITB, which, once all 12 are fully operational, will support 3,000 apprenticeships annually.

Although Government has recently sought to increase support for construction with the launch of Technical Excellence Colleges, apprenticeship reform, and additional skills funding, many apprenticeships remain misaligned with real-world industry demands, and SMEs continue to face barriers accessing funding.

HBF is urging Government to bolster the industry’s delivery with long-term investment in skills and training. This includes increased, more flexible funding for further education, ensuring that the Growth and Skills Levy works for all, and clearer, more accessible pathways for new entrants and career changers.

Andy George, Director of Industry Attraction and Skills at the HBF, said: “The updated Home Building Sector Skills Plan is a blueprint for the future, providing a long-term approach for attraction, developing and retaining the workforce that we will need to deliver home building targets. To meet the scale of future housing ambitions, we need Government and the relevant bodies, such as the Construction Skills Mission Board, to target investment in the right areas and remove the barriers that are holding back employers.”