Demand for construction training is surging in the UK. The number of people wanting to enrol in college courses now exceeds available places. This could lead to thousands of potential students being turned away from training as the sector continues to face skills shortages.
At a time when the industry requires a significant expansion of its workforce, thousands of aspiring entrants are struggling to access training. The issue facing construction is no longer a lack of interest in trade careers; it is ensuring enough training capacity exists to turn that interest into qualified workers.
According to new data shared by the Association of Colleges (AoC), published by The Times, 86% of colleges now have waiting lists for construction courses. Alarmingly, the AoC (as reported in FE Week) also found that nearly 9,500 16-18-year-olds are expected to be unable to start on their chosen construction course due to college capacity constraints.
Chief Executive of the Association of Colleges, David Hughes, later commented that the figure could be even higher because of the funding system: "A snap poll of our members found that around 15,000 potential construction students could be turned away from their local college this September because there isn't the funding available for training.”
Given the industry’s long-standing skills shortages, a significant portion of which is driven by an ageing workforce, more people showing an interest in entering the sector should be seen, in any capacity, as encouraging news.
The increase in demand may reflect several factors, including growing interest in practical careers that are less exposed to automation, clearly defined progression routes and the opportunity for self-employment.
However, as the findings above confirm, traditional training infrastructure, particularly that delivered by further education colleges, is not currently equipped to meet such demand.
This, of course, doesn’t just impact school-leavers and young people interested in pursuing a career in construction but also risks deterring career changers or those returning to work who might have viewed college courses as a viable starting point.
Could a shortage of college places drive people towards alternative construction training?
Given this trend, it is likely that we’ll see an increasing number of people seeking alternative entry routes into construction.
While school-leavers may be drawn towards apprenticeships, which are still clearly a crucial part of the ecosystem, for those looking to train later in life, this prospect simply isn’t feasible.
Alongside colleges and apprenticeships, private training providers could play an increasingly important role in expanding access to construction training, particularly for adult learners seeking flexible study options.
At the beginning of June, Skills England released its Annual Skills Report. According to the research, the sector must recruit 493,000 new construction workers in the next ten years…a 26% increase on the current workforce.
Even with the government committing to a £1bn skills package intended to address priority sectors, the £625m set aside for construction is only predicted to deliver 60,000 skilled workers, barely scratching the surface of the nearly half a million required.
Private training providers alone won’t be enough to solve this challenge. However, a growing gap is emerging between apprenticeships and the increasingly oversubscribed college courses, and this is where private courses can play a pivotal role in attracting a broader scope of newcomers at a time when the industry needs it most.