"Skill, Baby, Skill” – NHBC to warn Government housing targets at risk without urgent skills push

The Government’s new mantra to “build, baby, build” must be matched with a national effort to “skill, baby, skill,” the National House Building Council’s (NHBC) Chief Operating Officer David Campbell will warn in his speech to the Labour Party Conference on Sunday, urging urgent action to grow the house-building workforce.

The call comes after Housing Secretary Steve Reed vowed earlier this month to “leave no stone unturned” in delivering 1.5 million new homes, bringing together developers and housebuilders to accelerate construction.

Housing targets will falter
Mr Campbell will warn that without a significant and sustained expansion of the house-building workforce, the Government’s housing targets will be difficult to achieve.

Speaking at The Big Construction Reception, Mr Campbell will say: “We welcome ‘build, baby, build,’ but we need to ‘skill, baby, skill’ to ensure we have the workforce needed to build 1.5 million homes.”

NHBC pumps £100m into hubs to train 3,000 apprentices a year

As the UK’s leading provider of new home warranties and a champion of quality in house building, NHBC is widening its apprenticeship training network and investing a £100m in 12 new multi-skill training hubs across the UK. Each new training hub will be roughly two-thirds the size of a football pitch and train 3,000 new apprentices each year initially in the most needed trades.

“Without a significant increase in the workforce, scaling up the volume of quality new homes will be incredibly challenging,” Mr Campbell will say. “More than 250,000 extra construction workers will be needed by 2028 just to meet the current demand, let alone build more new homes. That’s why we must get moving now. You can’t create a skilled workforce overnight. At NHBC, we’re committed to being part of the solution. That’s why we’re heavily investing in practical, long-term training initiatives to help build the skilled workforce our industry urgently needs.”

NHBC warns build quality at risk

NHBC’s latest Foundation report, Maintaining quality in the design and construction of 1.5 million homes, highlights the historic link between rising build volumes and falling customer satisfaction. Mr Campbell will argue that ensuring a strong supply of skilled workers is the key to breaking this cycle.

“Our first multi-skill training hub, based in Lichfield, funded in partnership with the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB), with land provided by Barratt Redrow, is already open and training apprentices from all backgrounds in urgently needed trades including bricklaying, groundworks and site-carpentry. By training the next generation of house builders in conditions as close to real sites as possible and to industry leading NHBC standards, we are delivering qualified and quality tradespeople in just 14 to 18 months, nearly half the time of more traditional education routes, equipping them with the skills needed to be site ready from day one.

“With high achievement levels and a retention rate of around 90% at our existing hubs for bricklaying, we expect the majority of the 3,000 apprentices who will train with us each year to continue working in the house-building industry and, vitally, help to close the sector’s skills gap. This is the kind of sustained, practical investment that will help us build both the homes and the careers this country needs.”

Collaboration vital to deliver homes and quality
Mr Campbell will also welcome recent Government initiatives, including the £625m investment in construction skills, the creation of the Construction Skills Mission Board and the £3bn apprenticeship budget. But he will stress that collaboration between Government and industry is essential to deliver both quality and quantity.

“Together, with continued collaboration, we can build the homes this country needs and ensure they are built to the highest standards.”