Last updated: 23 Jul 2026
Offering training or assessments to support construction students
Bringing home-building professionals into the classroom helps students connect learning to real careers, enriching education with industry insight and real-world experience.
In this section
About this guidance
This is a practical guide to support employers within the home building industry – suppliers, home builders and contractors alike – to support Further Education providers deliver construction training. The guide also explains how experienced workers can evaluate learner progress and skills to ensure they meet educational standards by becoming an assessor.
Train or assess construction students
Why do colleges benefit from working alongside industry professionals to deliver training or assessing students?
Further education provides education and training for learners aged 16 and over who are continuing their studies, developing vocational skills, or preparing for employment.
Construction programmes combine classroom learning with practical workshops designed to reflect real working environments.
Industry professionals help bring this learning to life by sharing current knowledge, workplace expectations and real examples from live construction projects.
Working alongside college staff helps learners understand:
- current construction methods
- workplace standards and behaviours
- health and safety expectations
- teamwork and communication on site
- the skills employers look for when recruiting
Industry involvement also helps tutors keep learning aligned with modern methods of construction, new technologies and changing employer requirements.
What are the employer benefits of getting involved in training or assessing students?
Supporting construction training benefits both employers and the wider home building industry.
By encouraging experienced employees to contribute to further education, employers can:
- help develop the future construction workforce
- build relationships with local colleges
- influence the development of work-focused construction training
- strengthen local recruitment pipelines
- demonstrate social value by investing in local learners
- develop employees' communication, assessing and leadership skills
Many employers also find that employees enjoy the opportunity to share their knowledge while developing new professional skills.
What type of employees can train or assess students?
Construction professionals at every stage of their career can offer valuable training or assessing for further education students, and no previous teaching experience is required.
This might include individuals who hold the following roles:
- experienced tradespeople
- site managers
- technical specialists
- commercial professionals
- apprentices sharing their career journeys
- employees approaching retirement who wish to remain involved in the industry in a less physically demanding role
Top tips
As an employer a good way to start is by identifying workers who have strong construction experience and an interest in sharing their knowledge.
Do I need a teaching qualification to train or assess construction students?
No. Many professionals from the home building industry begin contributing to further education without any previous teaching experience.
Colleges provide guidance to help contributors develop confidence in delivering learning.
Where appropriate, teaching and assessing qualifications can often be completed while working, with funding available through the college or employer. There are a range of introductory qualifications available to suit including:
- Level 3 Certificate Award in Assessing Vocationally Related Achievement (CAVA)
- Level 3 Award in Education and Training (AET)
Individuals are encouraged to bring their industry expertise into the classroom, with the focus on sharing practical experience rather than having formal teaching experience.
Simon Parker has more than 25 years of experience in kitchen and bathroom design, supply and fitting. After learning how valuable his industry knowledge would be in Further Education, he began training students at his local college.
The college funded his teaching diploma and provided clear guidance so he could build confidence in planning and leading sessions.
“I came into Further Education with industry experience, not a teaching qualification. The college supported me to train on the job and funded my qualification, so I could build confidence while I eased myself into the role.
What I bring is current industry practice: how decisions get made, what good looks like and why industry standards matter. Learners respond to that.
If you have experience, you can make a difference alongside your current role in industry, and for those nearing retirement it is a practical way to stay connected to your sector and pass on your existing skills.”
How to get involved?
How can the home building industry get involved in teaching students?
There are many ways to support work-focused construction training and assessing, depending on your experience and availability.
Some people deliver occasional guest sessions, while others teach or assess regularly alongside their industry role.
Examples include:
- demonstrating construction techniques
- supporting practical workshop activities
- explaining workplace processes and standards
- sharing examples from live construction projects
- introducing modern technologies and methods of construction
- discussing careers in home building
- helping students develop professional behaviours and work readiness
- carrying out site reviews and assessments
Many training or assessing roles can be carried out on a flexible or part-time basis alongside existing employment.
How do colleges support industry professionals to offer training?
Further education colleges are experienced in supporting home building employers and industry professionals who are new to education. Their support enables industry professionals to focus on sharing practical knowledge while colleges provide educational expertise.
Further education support typically includes, induction and onboarding, safeguarding guidance, lesson planning support, information about learner abilities and course and qualification content, assessing from experienced teaching staff and opportunities to develop teaching skills over time.
Set up a route into teaching
Start by identifying workers who have strong construction experience and an interest in sharing their knowledge. Speak to a local Further Education provider about the subjects they teach, the support they need and the level of commitment required. Colleges can then advise on suitable roles, induction, safeguarding, training routes and any funding that may be available.
Contacting further education colleges to offer training or assessments
Speak to your local FE college about opportunities for your employees to teach, assess or support construction students.
Ask about:
- construction courses and qualifications
- opportunities to deliver guest lectures, workshops or masterclasses
- assessing student performance
- supporting practical workshop sessions
- part-time teaching and assessing opportunities
- industry placements and employer engagement activities
- induction, safeguarding and training
- funding available for industry professionals
Most colleges have employer engagement teams who will help match your employees' skills with suitable opportunities.
How the Dual Professional Model is supporting industry professionals into the classroom
As part of the Partner a College pilot, HBF has launched a Dual Professional Model initiative, designed to bring industry professionals into further education (FE) colleges to teach or assess alongside tutors.
Working professionals act as ‘dual professionals’ by splitting their time or expertise to instruct FE students, ensuring that curriculum delivery reflects current, real-world industry expectations.
HBF are currently seeking employers who may be interested in taking part in this pilot. In particular, we are looking for those who have members of their immediate or extended workforce who are considering retraining/upskilling to work in colleges, or keen to enhance their existing support for FE students.
The support package includes financial support for any additional training required and an employer subsidy to cover time away from work
If you are interested or would like to learn more about this exciting project, please contact skills@hbf.co.uk
When is a good time to contact a college to offer training, assessing or curriculum support?
Late spring to mid summer is a good time to contact colleges to offer training, assessing or curriculum support. At this time colleges are typically building their timetables for the academic year ahead.
That said, there is no bad time to reach out to a college to offer support as there are year-round opportunities.
Who do I contact to offer a training or assessments?
Construction training and assessing opportunities are usually arranged through a college or Further Education (FE) provider's employer engagement team, curriculum lead, construction department or business development team. If you are unsure who to contact, the college's main office can direct you to the appropriate person.
What to consider before making contact?
Before engaging a college, it's useful to consider the following:
- How your business or employees could support learners (for example through guest talks, practical demonstrations, part-time teaching or assessments).
- The knowledge, skills or specialist expertise you can offer.
- How much time employees can commit, whether as a one-off activity or on a regular basis.
- Whether you are interested in supporting a specific construction trade, occupation or course.
Colleges will work with you to identify opportunities that match your expertise, availability and workforce needs, and will explain the support, induction and safeguarding arrangements before any activity begins.
Next steps and support
If you are ready to explore this further, the Teach in FE website has clear guidance on routes into training others and how workers can get involved alongside their current roles.
You can search live vacancies or speak to an advisor for tailored advice and support by emailing teach.FE@education.gov.uk or calling 0800 389 2502, Monday to Friday, 9am to 5.30pm.
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