The Home Building Sector Skills Plan

Introduction

The HBF Sector Skills Plan was created two years ago to address the key workforce challenges faced by the UK home building sector. The Government’s focus on skills, education and breaking down barriers to opportunity is very welcome. This agenda is important not only for economic growth, but also to spread opportunities across the country and increase take-up of rewarding and highly-skilled jobs.

Skills England recently acknowledged that the Government’s commitment to deliver 1.5 million new homes will require an expansion of the construction workforce, which will simultaneously need new workers and to upskill existing recruits to improve competence, safety and productivity.

The home building workforce has long faced a significant skills shortage due to:

• A shortfall in numbers entering roles from the education system
• An ageing workforce: 25% of the home building workforce is aged over 50, meaning the sector is facing an impending retirement cliff edge
• Challenges attracting a wider talent pipeline into the sector
• A lack of understanding of critical future skills needed, and direction from the Future Homes Standard
• Output within the sector fluctuating with demand and economic pressures, leading to additional pressures in recruitment and training

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Progress to date

Despite the Government’s welcome ambition, the industry still faces a range of constraints that hamper its ability to increase housing supply.

In turn, this prevents companies from recruiting and training the people that will be needed should those constraints be removed and supply subsequently increase to a rate that matches the Government’s ambition.

Nonetheless, significant activity is underway within the industry to create a framework that will allow it to develop its workforce. HBF and industry partners are taking decisive action to meet the challenge, delivering a wide range of skills, training, and talent attraction programmes in collaboration with members, education partners, and industry bodies – “it is key that all parties play their part”.

Current initiatives

Women into Home Building

We continue to attract new talent via the Women into Home Building programme, which helps to recruit more women into site-based management roles. Since its launch in 2023, more than 230 women have received support and advice on careers within the industry, with more than 100 completing the site management work experience and training programme with our members.

Equality, diversity and inclusion

Our partnership with the Go Construct STEM Ambassador programme is helping to broaden the reach of careers information among the next generation and inspiring diverse talent.

Meanwhile, our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Group provides a valuable forum for members to share best practice and lessons learnt.

The Partner a College programme

has been designed to increase the number of ‘work-ready’ students emerging from college courses by facilitating more effective collaboration between home builders and further education colleges. The programme aims to tailor construction courses, embed industry expectations, and give students practical insights into home building careers.

Among other interventions, increasing the number of professionals from the industry trained to deliver workshops and technical insight will be key. By enhancing the approach to college course development and delivery, the young people embarking on construction courses each year will receive a solid foundation and greater chance of building long, successful and fulfilling careers within the sector.

Mental health awareness

HBF has delivered an industry-wide awareness campaign to break down the stigma surrounding mental health. As part of this initiative, we have been providing free mental health awareness training to the entire workforce — including SMEs and the supply chain — delivered by the Lighthouse Construction Helpline.

Masterclasses

Masterclasses previously outlined within the Home Building Sector Skills Plan are already being delivered across England, Wales and Scotland, and are upskilling our workforce in critical skills. Since 2019, more than 15,000 tradespeople have benefitted from our brickwork and roofing sessions, funded by CITB and delivered in partnership with NHBC and related trade bodies, with new drylining masterclasses to be introduced later in 2025.

Training hubs

NHBC opened its first multi-skill training hub in Lichfield in 2025, marking the start of a national rollout. Backed by CITB, NHBC is investing £100 million to deliver 12 training hubs across the UK over the next 10 years. This initiative will support 3,000 apprentices annually and significantly boost industry training capacity.

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The ongoing challenge

The introduction of the Government ‘Construction Skills Mission Board’ is critical in driving the skills agenda for the sector and this plan will be continually updated to support that direction. If the Government can create a policy environment to increase output to its targeted 300,000 homes a year, the industry would need a 25% increase in recruitment - equal to 239,300 additional workers, according to CITB’s reporting.

In addition to the skills challenge, there is the requirement to reduce the carbon emissions of new homes by 75%-80% under the Future Homes Standard. Achieving this target will require significant changes to both the design and construction of new homes, including the installation of alternative heating and hot water systems, and the adoption of modern construction methods. While this presents an opportunity for the country to become a world leader in the knowledge and skills base for future housing design and delivery, the emergence of new skills requirements as a result has the potential to further exacerbate the skills challenge.

The home building industry warmly welcomed the Government’s March 2025 announcement of £600 million in funding to train 60,000 more construction workers. The introduction of the Mission Skills Board was also well received by industry, and we recognise the importance of the Plan aligning with its future recommendations.

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The HBF team, Plan, stakeholders and resources

The team

Our team pilots and delivers critical projects within the Home Building Sector Skills Plan, which ensures that focus is placed on areas that will have the most impact. The team ensures that the Plan aligns with the pillars outlined in the recent CITB Business Plan and both the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) and Construction Leadership Council (CLC) strategic plans, currently delivered through the industry working groups set up through the previous HBF skills partnership model.

The Sector Skills Plan

The ambition for the Sector Skills Plan is to provide a ‘blueprint’ for attracting, retaining and training tomorrow’s workforce. The activities listed within the Sector Skills Plan consider pressures on the industry, particularly in relation to annual recruitment requirements, training new talent and the image of the sector. In addition, we will align with the Construction Skills Mission Board outputs, focusing on those areas which are of priority to the home building sector.  We have also taken consideration of the Building Safety Act 2022 and the Regulator competency requirements, which are of great significance to the industry.  

The Stakeholders

To develop a better understanding of industry training requirements, knowledge of the training provision available and dissemination of information to improve the delivery of the plan, we will work with our key stakeholders to enhance and refresh priorities. Through a collaborative approach, we will ensure our stakeholders are working towards the same outcomes, and acting on opportunities to align research and the development of interventions to better tackle the collective challenges faced across the industry.

Our stakeholders and partners play a critical role in shaping and implementing the plan, and include:

• Trade Associations and Bodies, including the National Federation of Roofing Contractors, Federation of Master Builders, National Federation of Builders, CITB, National House Building Council, Homes For Scotland
• Government, including Construction Skills Mission Board, Skills England, Department for Education, Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, Department for Work and Pensions
• Training Providers, including NHBC

Resources

The availability of robust advice, guidance and signposting for all HBF members, ambassadors, young people, influencers (including parents, career advisors and teachers) will be vital.

To support this, we will create a dedicated online destination for information, resources and guidance covering a range of related topics, including career pathways, future competencies and skills, operational solutions, and skill development. 

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The Home Building Sector Skills Plan has six main objectives

1. To provide a blueprint on how we assess and address the barriers industry faces recruiting and training the workforce it needs to enable it to deliver the country’s new homes.
2. To develop a better understanding of the industry workforce and skill requirements, including behavioural skills.
3. To provide knowledge of training provision available and the dissemination of information to improve competencies.
4. To pilot key interventions, undertake research, and share best practice to address the skills and workforce challenges faced.
5. To engage with key stakeholders at a national and regional level.
6. To work with NHBC and CITB to signpost relevant training and support our members to navigate funding models and opportunities.

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