London Mayor announces major investment for construction courses and industry placements in the Capital to tackle critical sector skills shortages…
A new construction skills package, funded by the Department for Education (DfE), will deliver more than 20,000 construction courses, industry placements and high-quality training facilities and equipment at colleges across London.
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has announced an investment of £88.6m to train London’s next generation of construction workers and boost housebuilding.
The investment is aimed at tackling skills shortages, accelerating the delivery of new homes and making existing homes more energy efficient.
It comes as Sadiq Khan set out his ambition to accelerate housebuilding across the capital in his draft London Plan, published earlier this month – a blueprint for how he will deliver the homes Londoners need and maximise affordable housing.
Challenges to housebuilding include higher construction costs, increased borrowing costs and significant viability pressures. Alongside this, London’s construction industry currently faces severe structural labour shortages.
The most critical gaps are heavily concentrated in skilled trades such as bricklaying and carpentry, plumbing and electrical installation, and technical project management. There is also growing demand for green skills, like retrofitting and heat pump installation.
The Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) estimates that Greater London requires approximately 26,500 additional construction workers over a five-year period to service ongoing housing, commercial, and infrastructure demands.
The £88.6m package will see:
- Up to £43m invested in Further Education (FE) colleges to support new or improved training facilities and equipment.
- A £2.5m fund to test and scale training provision, co-designed with members of the Interim Construction and Built Environment Talent Board.
- Over 2,700 industry teaching days delivered to learners by construction professionals, as part of the Further Education Teacher Industry Exchange.
Appointed by the government as vital strategic partners, New City College (Construction) and South Bank Colleges (Clean Energy) will drive London’s Construction Skills Package.
The Mayor has also launched three new, virtual, Pan-London Sector Hubs covering the Built Environment, Creative Industries and Life Sciences, backed by a further £3.2m investment from GLA core funding.
“We can’t build the homes Londoners desperately need without the skilled workforce to deliver them,” said Khan. “That’s why I’m investing an unprecedented £88.6m to train London’s next generation of construction workers, helping thousands of Londoners develop the skills they need to access good jobs while tackling critical skills shortages across the industry.
“This landmark investment will deliver more than 20,000 construction courses, alongside industry placements and major investment in our colleges, ensuring London has the skilled workforce needed to build more homes and make existing homes more energy efficient.
“By bringing employers and training providers together, we can give Londoners clearer routes into good careers while giving businesses the talent they need to grow – helping us to build a greener and more prosperous London for everyone.”
Craig Hanlon-Smith, Principal at South Bank Colleges said: “This additional investment is good news for London’s further education sector and our learners. As a training provider, our partnerships with employers are central to the types of courses we develop and deliver. Training needs to keep pace with evolving construction standards and the changing skill needs across the built environment sector. Our learners need the latest theory and practice, so they’re job-ready by the end of the course.
“As one of London’s Technical Excellence Colleges, leading on Clean Energy, the funding has allowed us to bring in expertise from industry. This gives our tutors the latest knowledge and skills on building physics and low carbon construction. This is an area where we see future growth in demand; we need to have the teaching workforce to deliver the training that employers need and which will support Londoners into good job opportunities.
“And it has given our learners real insight into the types of careers available in the sector and get on-site experience, developing the range of skills you need when in a job.”
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