Skills

The UK’s rollout of heat pump installations is running behind schedule, the National Audit Office (NAO) has said. In a report published on Monday (18 March), the NAO said that the number of heat pump installations up until December 2023 was less than half of what was planned. The NAO…

The construction sector needs to collaborate with training providers to help close the skills gap, according to an educator at MidKent College. Richard Wilde, project manager at MidKent College in Maidstone, said that contractors and subcontractors should assist training providers with the provision of materials and informing trainers about the…

A third of construction managers wouldn’t hire candidates they knew had a criminal record, according to a survey. A report published by the Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB) on Tuesday (12 March) found that people with past criminal convictions often face discrimination and poor training opportunities. In a survey of…

The Balfour Beatty Vinci joint venture (JV) working on HS2 has announced the launch of a women’s only training course to mark International Women’s Day. The course, called Introduction to Construction, is designed to equip women with the skills and accreditation they need to start a new career in the…

A payroll firm involved in a long-running dispute with the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) over £8m of levy payments has lost large parts of its latest legal battle. In 2018, the CITB assessed that Hudson Contract Services (now known as Knot Builders) owed £27.4m (later revised to £7.96m) in…

Earlier this month, Construction News revealed emerging plans for a new initiative for contractors to collaborate on promoting the sector through schools outreach. Specialist firm the School Outreach Company is working with senior sector figures on plans to raise £100,000 with the aim of creating a network of five regional…

Big hitters in the construction industry are working on a major new collaboration aimed at promoting the UK construction industry to secondary school children. Specialist firm the School Outreach Company is working with senior sector figures on plans to raise £100,000 with the aim of creating a network of five…

The construction sector in England saw a 6 per cent year-on-year drop in apprenticeship starts last year, according to the latest government figures. Figures compiled by the Department for Education (DfE) state that 24,530 workers started construction, planning and the built environment apprenticeships in 2022/23. This represented a fall from…

The government wants to increase the amount of construction training on traditional building methods and materials to help retrofit old homes. In a review of the barriers to improving energy efficiency in listed and conservation-area homes, three departments jointly highlight workforce shortages as a major issue for carrying out retrospective…

Construction businesses have reacted in dismay to government proposals to make it harder for foreign workers to come to the UK. Home secretary James Cleverly this week announced plans to make legal migration to the UK tougher, with changes he claimed would have stopped 300,000 people crossing the border last…