Politics
The House Opinion Article | “Build, baby, build” has an apprenticeship problem
3 min read
As we mark National Apprenticeships Week, it is worth asking whether our ambition to “build, baby, build” is matched by the systems meant to train the workforce that makes it possible.
“Build, baby, build” was plastered on hats across the Labour Party Conference floor. It wasn’t just a slogan; it summed up a mission running through much of the Government’s agenda: reforming the planning system, unlocking major infrastructure projects, and investing in skills and apprenticeships.
There has been welcome talk recently about new funding to train the next generation of tradespeople. But National Apprenticeships Week should also prompt a more uncomfortable question: why has the number of apprenticeships among tradespeople fallen so sharply?
As co-chair of the Apprenticeships APPG and Chair of the Environmental Audit Committee, I see these challenges first-hand. Our inquiry into environmental sustainability and housing growth repeatedly found that shortages in construction skills are a major barrier to delivering the homes we need. It’s been estimated that an additional 251,500 construction workers will be required by 2028 to meet demand and replace those leaving the sector. Yet apprenticeships are simply not keeping pace.
Checkatrade’s Trade Nation research, with data from over 850 tradespeople across the UK, confirms this. From builders to plumbers to roofers, more than seven in ten say skills shortages are a significant barrier holding them back from growth.
Most concerning, half of tradespeople say they have never hired an apprentice and have no plans to do so in the future.
For centuries, apprenticeships have been the backbone of skilled manual work. When people think of an apprentice, they picture someone learning on the job in building, carpentry, or as an electrician. Yet it seems that half of the UK’s nearly 1 million tradespeople have quietly turned their back on this tradition.
It would be easy to assume that young people are no longer interested, but the data says otherwise. Research from the Careers and Enterprise Company, the Government’s national body for careers education, shows that awareness of apprenticeships among young people is at an all-time high, now on par with A-Levels. Jobs in construction are now one of the most popular careers being considered by school leavers.
And there is no lack of ambition from business owners either. Over six in ten trade business owners say growing their business is their top priority.
So, what’s going wrong?
For many small trade businesses, taking on an apprentice has become too costly and bureaucratic. Checkatrade’s research shows that cost, complexity, and concerns about finding someone with the right skills and attitude are all key challenges. For firms already juggling jobs, cash flow, and paperwork, an apprentice can feel like a risk rather than an opportunity.
If we are serious about building Britain’s future, National Apprenticeships Week should be a time to recommit to stripping back red tape and making it as easy as possible for businesses to train the workforce they need.
There are encouraging signs. The Skills Minister, Jacqui Smith, is making real progress. Reforming the apprenticeship levy is long overdue, and the recent Budget announcement making apprenticeships free for SMEs hiring young people is an important step. But we cannot take our foot off the pedal.
There is a motivated cohort of young people eager to embark on apprenticeships. The task ahead is to ensure that trade businesses are aware of the support available and understand the value apprentices can bring — not just in the long term, but day to day.
By 2033, tradespeople are expected to contribute £24 billion to the UK economy. But unless we fix the broken pipeline of construction apprenticeships, we risk undermining both economic growth and the Government’s wider ambitions.
If we truly mean “build, baby, build”, then apprenticeships are not a side issue; they are mission-critical.
