HBF urges govt support on skills

The government must work with the industry to support skills if it is to build the homes the country desperately needs, the Home Builders Federation (HBF) said today (February 13).

As part of National Apprenticeship Week (February 10 – 16), HBF is urging ministers “to take a leadership role in shaping skills policies that are practical, industry-aligned, and easy to navigate”.

It said that while housebuilding had the workforce to deliver to current levels of output, it would need a 25% increase in recruitment - equal to 224,900 additional workers – to meet the government’s ambitious 1.5 million new homes target, reinforced by deputy prime minister last weekend.

HBF underlined the significant challenge of increasing skills capacity while addressing other hurdles to homes delivery. According to its State of Play report, 35% of SME housebuilders cite a lack of skills supply as a major barrier.

And, according to HBF predictions, for every 10,000 new homes the industry builds, 30,000 new recruits are needed, including but not limited to 2,500 bricklayers, 2,500 groundwork/plant operatives and 1,000 carpenters.

There were also skills strains from regulatory requirements including the Future Homes Standard and modern methods of construction, HBF said. …