HBF holds parliamentary skills event

The Home Builders Federation has held a parliamentary reception to showcase the varied range of training opportunities and entry routes available in the housebuilding industry, while drawing attention to the acute skills shortage.

Yesterday (March 12), MPs and Lords across the political spectrum attended HBF’s Skills Showcase. They met apprentices, trainees and graduates within the home building sector and representatives from a range of housebuilders across the country.

The event was sponsored by Northampton South MP Andrew Lewer, also chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group for SME Housebuilders, who highlighted HBF and its members’ ongoing work to develop the workforce needed to build high quality and energy efficient new homes.

But despite the industry being a key source of training, apprenticeships and employment, supporting more than 800,000 jobs and comprising a mix of skills, HBF said a “growing and severe” shortage of workers in the industry was inhibiting efforts to build desperately needed homes.

It added that the skills gap was due to an inadequate number of recruits entering the industry from education, as well as the 2008 financial crisis which caused 40-50% of skilled labour to leave housebuilding.

And the workforce was …