Govt urged to act on apprenticeship and migration to tackle skills shortages
4th June 2019

The government has been urged to take action over both a collapse in apprentice numbers and rules on migrant workers to tackle two of the biggest areas of potential skills shortage in the industry.

Both calls come from the Federation of Master Builders in response to the news that the number of apprenticeship starts have fallen to almost half on last year and that a number of roles in the industry are not on the Migration Advisory Committee’s list of ‘shortage occupations’.

On apprenticeships, chief executive Brian Berry said: “Construction apprenticeship starts have suffered a serious hit and we now need decisive action from the Government in order to reverse this decline.

“The Government must accept the recommendation made in the Review of Post-18 Education and Funding, also published today, to make provision for full funding, at all ages, for first qualifications at Level 2 and 3. The Government is uniquely placed to drive the apprenticeship agenda, and if Ministers want to achieve their target of three million apprenticeship starts by the end of next year, they must review apprenticeship policy, including the Apprenticeship Levy.”

Responding to the Migration committee’s list of construction roles included for special consideration, he said: “We are pleased to see the committee’s recognition of the vital importance of the UK construction industry, the high numbers of EU workers in this sector and the increasing struggle of construction employers to find skilled workers. However, it is shocking how few construction roles were recommended to be added to the Shortage Occupation List, due to not meeting the arbitrary definition of skill level.

“The Government should now act on the MAC’s advice and acknowledge these shortage areas in the future immigration system. If it does not, our shared ambition to address the housing shortage will not be possible.”