The ‘Construction Skills Mission Board’ has been launched this week (23 – 27 June), designed to support an industry commitment to recruit 100,000 more construction workers per year by the end of the Parliament.  

This new partnership between the government and industry leaders is designed to support the delivery of the government’s housing and infrastructure commitments, including the Industrial Strategy and the 10 Year Infrastructure Strategy. 

The government’s commitment to skills is backed by £625mn investment to tackle skills shortages in the construction sector. These reforms are expected to create up to 60,000 additional jobs for engineers, electricians and joiners by the end of the parliament. 

Cat Goumal, Head of Education and Professional Development, CIHT said: 

CIHT welcome the UK government’s commitment to developing and supporting the construction and infrastructure workforce. CIHT have consistently called for this support if we are going to be able to deliver the plans outlined in the industrial strategy. We are pleased to see the acknowledgement that there is a need to focus on green skills if we are to uphold our commitment to transport decarbonisation. We look forward to working with the skills board and helping them to achieve their objectives.

Additionally, from August 2025, new construction foundation apprenticeship, backed by an additional £40mn government investment, will provide young people at the start of their career with a route into construction. The scheme comes as part of the governments Youth Guarantee, which is designed to give young people skills in a range of specialist occupations. 

Further information on the announcement is available to read here.  

CIHT welcomes the commitment to boosting the capacity of the construction workforce.   

CIHT has consistently called on the government to ensure there is a skilled workforce with the capacity and capability to deliver improvement in the sector by investing in future skills. 

In CIHT’s representation to the Spending Review, we highlighted the need for consistent investment in technical skills and expertise in transport planning at a local level to deliver on the government’s housebuilding aspirations. 

CIHT looks forward to engaging with the Department for Education, the Department for Work and Pensions, Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, Department for Business and Trade, to ensure the production of a skilled workforce is in place to drive economic growth, boost connectivity, and deliver an integrated transport network that is fit for all our futures.