Uo to 5,000 more construction apprenticeships could be made available every year thanks to investment of £140m in skills hubs for the industry.
More than 30 Homebuilding Skills Hubs will deliver fast-track training to areas that need more housing, while giving apprentices vital skills to boost housebuilding in the UK and drive forward the government’s growth mission.
Minister for Skills Jacqui Smith, said: “If we are to meet this ambitious target and fix the foundations of our economy, we need to ensure we have a skilled workforce, and give more apprentices a foot on the career ladder.”
The purpose-built hubs will provide a realistic working environment for training for key construction trades, including bricklayers, roofers, plasterers, scaffolders, electricians, carpenters and more.
The government is working with the Construction Industry Training Board and the National House-Building Council to launch them.
Working hand in hand with Skills England to identify the areas that need construction workers the most, this will ensure employers and businesses have access to high quality apprenticeship training, kickstarting economic growth and creating jobs across England.
The fast-track apprenticeships offered by the hubs can be completed in 12-18 months, up to half the time of a traditional 24-30-month construction apprenticeship. This means more construction workers can be trained quickly, unlocking economic growth by getting more people into highly skilled jobs.
