By Gaynor Tennant, Founder & Chair of the Offsite Alliance
When Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced a £600 million investment to tackle the UK’s construction skills shortage, it sent a strong signal that the government is ready to get serious about the future of our industry.
The ambition? To train 60,000 additional construction workers by 2029, including engineers, bricklayers, electricians, and carpenters. This is all in support of the government’s wider commitment to deliver 1.5 million homes by the end of this Parliament.
The funding will be targeted at key pressure points across the system:
£100 million for 10 new Technical Excellence Colleges to enhance specialist training facilities
£165 million to help colleges deliver more construction courses
£100 million to expand Skills Bootcamps, helping more people enter and upskill within the sector
£20 million to foster partnerships between colleges and construction companies via Local Skills Improvement Plans, encouraging more industry-experienced teachers
£40 million to launch new foundation apprenticeships in 2025, with £2,000 grants for employers who retain apprentices in construction
£100 million from government (plus £32 million from CITB) to support over 40,000 industry placements annually at Level 2 and 3
£80 million in capital funding to support employers delivering tailored, in-house training
Alongside this, a new Construction Skills Mission Board will be co-chaired by the government and Mark Reynolds, Executive Chair of Mace, to provide long-term strategic direction and sector leadership.
A Welcome Move — But Investment Alone Isn’t Enough
While this level of commitment is hugely welcome, money alone won’t fix the systemic issues holding the sector back. Because the truth is: we’re not just facing a shortage of workers — we’re facing a shortage of strategic alignment.
The biggest risk? That this investment gets spread across fragmented initiatives, outdated training models, and uncoordinated delivery. We need to know not just how many people to train, but for what — and for where the industry is going, not just where it’s been.
At the Offsite Alliance, we’ve spent the past year collaborating with partners across the sector — including MTC, Mott McDonald, MOBIE, industry and education providers — on a Workforce Foresighting initiative to do just that.
We’ve looked at the emerging trends, new technologies, and systems-led approaches transforming construction — from modern methods and digital tools to sustainability goals and productivity drivers. And we’ve asked: what kinds of roles, skills and behaviours will we need to thrive in the future?
Our upcoming report is clear: without coordinated, long-term thinking, we risk misdirecting vital investment. That’s why our first and most urgent recommendation is to establish a National Construction Skills Alliance — a cross-sector body with the authority and insight to connect policy, provision, and practice. Not in silos, but in action. The same voices that helped shape this investment must stay around the table to help deliver it. We welcome the Construction Skills Mission Board and would love the opportunity to join the dots and help shape the future.
Coming Soon: Future-Focused Role Profiles
To support this, we’ve developed a new set of role profiles that define not just job titles, but the competencies, capabilities and career pathways needed across the evolving construction landscape — from optimisation specialists to Integration Technologists. These will be released soon, and we’re inviting employers, training providers, and policymakers to help us embed them across the sector. Because if we want better outcomes, we need better alignment — and a shared understanding of what good looks like.
Let’s Build the Workforce to Match Our Ambitions
This £600 million investment could be the spark the industry’s been waiting for. But to turn it into long-term impact, we need to match financial investment with strategic intent. Let’s not just build homes — let’s build a sector that’s fit for the future.
Let’s invest in clarity. In collaboration. And in the kind of joined-up action that helps everyone pull in the same direction.
If you’re interested in working with the Offsite Alliance to shape the National Construction Skills Alliance or access our upcoming workforce tools, we’d love to hear from you.
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