08-04-2025
'Construction is a great career, not a last resort'
A building industry leader is calling for more people to consider a career in construction Carr, the Grimsby-based president of the Federation of Master Builders, said it was time to stop thinking about the sector as a "last resort".The Construction Industry Training Board has said the UK needs more than 250,000 extra workers by 2028."We need to educate the parents to understand that it's a great career to have," Mr Carr said.
Other European countries had a higher opinion of tradespeople, but "in the UK it's still seen as not a great place to be", Mr Carr added."I think if you look at the schools they see it as a career of last resort."The government recently announced a £600m investment over the next four years to train up to 60,000 more skilled construction workers.
Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said a lack of skilled workers was a "major barrier" to the government plans to grow the economy."These measures will break down barriers to opportunity for thousands of young people, helping them to thrive in – and build – their local communities," she plans include "skills bootcamps" and 10 new technical excellence Carr said Lincolnshire should be bidding to host one of the new colleges."We've got a great ability, we've got some great schools that can teach and send young pupils through," he said."Make it a career destination, not just a career of last resort."Listen to highlights from Hull and East Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, watch the latest episode of Look North or tell us about a story you think we should be covering here.
