Government unveils Construction Jobs Plan initiative in bid to tackle youth unemployment

The government has launched its Construction Jobs Plan initiative which aims to create 100,000 roles by the end of each parliament.

The Department for Business and Trade’s move is part of the government’s wider Industrial Strategy Jobs Plans, which aim to get young people into fast-growing industries such as construction with government and businesses join forces to expand apprenticeships, work experience and training.

It comes ahead of the final Young People and Work review, being drawn up by former health secretary Alan Milburn. The interim report said that up to one million 18 to 24 year olds are not in education, employment or training known as Neets.

The latest jobs plans, which include construction, defence and professional and business services, are “designed to create clearer routes into skilled careers while helping businesses recruit the workforce they need to grow”. Plans for financial services, clean energy industries and life sciences have already been published.

Government said it is providing an additional £625m through the Construction Skills Package to increase the number of construction learners and new entrants, help more learners move into employment, expand course provision and increase capacity in the training system.

It said it is making 40,000 industry placements each year for eligible Level 2 and Level 3 construction learners aged 16+, funding for up to 10,000 new construction-focused Foundation Apprenticeships and 35,000 additional construction-focused Skills Bootcamp places.

It added that industry has agreed 10 commitments to tackle construction’s workforce and skills challenges, including developing sector-specific skills plans, improving strategic workforce planning, strengthening good employment practices and exploring the adoption of AI and industrialised construction to improve productivity.

“Sector skills plans will feed into regional, devolved, mayoral and local systems, while Local Skills Improvement Plans will bring businesses, educators and local stakeholders together around local skills needs,” the document said.

The Construction Skills Mission Board is providing a strategic and convening role for the construction industry and a central role in shaping employer commitments.

Mark Reynolds, co-chair of the Construction Skills Mission Board and executive chairman of Mace Construct, said: “If the industry is to grow at the rate it needs to support the Government’s ambitions on infrastructure delivery, housebuilding and wider economic growth, we must have better data on skills needs, more joined up policy development and implementation and a truly integrated network of employers, potential recruits and training provision. The jobs plan provides the foundation for those improvements.”

And Costain chief executive Alex Vaughan added: “The Construction Jobs Plan is a positive step towards creating a long-term system-wide approach to sustainable skills development and job creation, key drivers to greater economic prosperity for the UK.

“With business leaders, educators and policymakers working together to ensure training and qualification routes match real-world demand, we can prevent the infrastructure pipeline becoming a pipe dream.”