40,000 Future Construction Workers to Gain Skills at New Technical Excellence Colleges
More than 40,000 aspiring builders, bricklayers, electricians, carpenters, and plumbers will be trained at newly unveiled Construction Technical Excellence Colleges, the UK Government announced.
The specialist colleges, located in every region of England, aim to provide the skilled workforce needed to accelerate the construction of new homes, schools, and hospitals—supporting the government’s target to build 1.5 million homes as part of its Plan for Change.
Funded by a £100 million investment, the initiative will deliver state-of-the-art training to meet the industry’s growing demands and reduce reliance on overseas labour. Figures from the Office for National Statistics reveal a shortage of around 35,000 construction workers, which the government says is holding back housing supply.
The new network of colleges will train 40,000 construction learners by 2029, offering opportunities for both young apprentices entering the workforce and experienced workers seeking to upskill. This builds on the £625 million investment announced in March to train up to 60,000 additional skilled workers by 2029 through apprenticeships, skills bootcamps, and industry placements.
Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said:
“We need skilled workers to deliver the homes, schools and hospitals that communities across the country are crying out for, and today’s announcement underlines our commitment to the next generation of homegrown talent.
Construction Technical Excellence Colleges will enable us to invest in people and give them the skills they need to break down barriers to opportunity in an industry which is essential to delivering growth through our Plan for Change.”
Industry leaders welcomed the announcement. David Hughes CBE, Chief Executive of the Association of Colleges, called it “very positive news for people wanting good jobs, for the construction employers looking for skilled people and for the government’s ambitions to build 1.5 million new homes.” He said the investment recognises the crucial role colleges play in boosting the construction sector.
Tim Balcon, Chief Executive of the Construction Industry Training Board, praised the colleges as a “transformative opportunity” for local vocational training, while Andrew Hockey, CEO of the Engineering Construction Industry Training Board, stressed the importance of equipping learners with “sustainable, transferable and future-proofed skills” to deliver major infrastructure projects such as Hinkley Point C, Sizewell C, and emerging industries like hydrogen and carbon capture.
Roger Morton, Director of Business Change at the National Homebuilding Council, highlighted the alignment between government, industry, and training providers to “plug the skills gap and deliver quality new homes at pace”. The NHBC is investing £100 million in its own national training programme, including 12 new multi-skill training hubs across the UK.
John Laramy, Principal and CEO of Exeter College, which will serve as the South West’s Construction TEC, said:
“Exeter College are absolutely delighted to be selected as the southwest construction TEC. We look forward to working with our college, stakeholder and employer partners across the region to turbo charge construction training.
It is a particular personal privilege, as an education leader who began their career in construction, to be part of a national initiative to ensure our region benefits from the career opportunities that excellent technical education enables.”
The ten new colleges—ranging from Derby College Group in the East Midlands to Leeds College of Building in Yorkshire—will operate on a ‘hub and spoke’ model, partnering with local training providers and employers to raise training standards nationwide.
To further address youth unemployment, the government is also rolling out the Youth Guarantee, offering every 18–21-ye
