Listen to the full episode here.

The episode aired amid the UK government's recent announcement of a £600m investment to train new construction workers, aiming to tackle the 35,000 job vacancies in the sector. This sits alongside a target to build 1.5M homes by 2031.

Graham joined Nikki Davis from Leeds College of Building, Tom Randall from Hachette Learning and FE News’ own Gavin O’Mara. They unpacked the key issues facing the Construction and Building Services Engineering sector.

Here, we share 10 recommendations from Graham to boost our education and skills system so they adequately support these important sectors.

1. Focus on young people

There is still a real lack of qualified entrants to the construction industry, so a key activity will be focusing on bringing in new talent. This begins with a renewed approach to employment that targets people under the age of 24 and not in education, employment, or training (NEETs).

2. Reward tutors

We also need to find a better way of recognising and rewarding the 5,000 further education tutors, and improving capacity among them. I would welcome seeing a portion of the £600 million government funding set out for construction skills being allocated to tutors.

3. Simplify entry routes

For many potential construction workers, the routes to different trades are not readily available or easy to understand. We must do more to map out and share the possible career pathways for workers, as well as the qualifications that will get them there.

4. Mirror best practice internationally

We need to bring our skills programme in the UK into one framework to avoid fragmented, inefficient working. I’ve just come back from India where they have one occupational standard that benchmarks competencies and skills nationally. The UK skills infrastructure is currently a patchwork quilt of fragmented initiatives and multiple streams of qualifications. We must bring it under one roof to streamline and improve effectiveness.

5. Use AI and technology

We are seeing more and more how AI and technology can be used to maximise efficiency across different industries. In the apprenticeship world for example, AI tools could be used to capture evidence through the period of an apprenticeship as opposed to a condensed testing period at the end. As an organisation, we are already using AI to help us design qualifications and exams.

6. Build flexibility in across the board

Courses should not be created as “one size fits all”, but adapt depending on the occupation and required skill set. Blended learning - which combines traditional classroom teaching with online learning - gives flexibility to learners and tutors alike and is one way to provide a more flexible and engaging educational experience.

7. Speed up the process - where possible

Speeding up courses makes sense in some areas, but isn't always appropriate. Some courses may have a large block of training at the beginning, for example a bootcamp, which will allow you to speed up the process overall. This won't always be possible depending on the occupation, so building in structure is key.

8. Sell in the sector benefits

The construction industry is a good one to work in. Strong career prospects and good pay make it an attractive option but more must be done to make these benefits known.

9. Keep the focus on quality

A robust quality assurance process is needed between awarding organisations like NOCN Group, training providers, and employers, so that people can put their trust in chosen qualifications. This also links into health and safety, which must be prioritized regardless of the length of course.

10. Increase diversity and inclusion

The sector must do more to ensure that everyone feels welcome and sees the benefit in Construction and Building Services Engineering. A diverse industry is a strong one, so more must be done to encourage women and other minority groups to choose this career pathway.

Read more about our work in construction here.