The Department for Education (DfE) has today announced that the East of England will receive £11m of additional funding as part of the £625m Construction Skills Package, aiming to train up 60,000 skilled workers by 2029.
The Bedford College Group will benefit from the new government funding to create placements and deliver new V-level vocational qualifications to plug the skills gap in the construction industry.
The construction industry is facing significant shortages, with the latest Office for National Statistics figures showing that there are over 35,000 job vacancies – over half of which are due to a lack of required skills.
The news of the investment has been welcomed by Yiannis Koursis OBE, CEO of the Bedford College Group, which was recently named by the Department for Education as a Construction Centre of Excellence.
Read: Bedford College Group named as a Construction Centre for Excellence
“This is a hugely important step forward in strengthening the UK’s construction workforce and ensuring post-16 vocational education has the recognition and clarity it rightly deserves,” said Mr Koursis.
“We see first-hand the transformative impact that high-quality technical education and meaningful industry placements has on our students, apprentices, employers and the local economy.”
V-levels and new subjects
Among the reforms are the introduction of V-levels, which will sit alongside A-levels and T-levels, and a host of new vocational subjects.
Equivalent to one A-level, V-levels will allow students to mix and match academic and vocational subjects if they do not yet know where they want to specialise.
For 16-year-olds who are not ready to progress beyond GCSEs due to lower attainment, there are two new qualifications:
- Occupational Certificates: two-year courses for those who want to get into work or an apprenticeship but need support to achieve English and Maths GCSEs
- Foundation Certificates: one-year courses for students who want to progress to A-levels, T-levels or V-levels but need extra support to pass their GCSEs
New subjects available from 2028 include:
- V Levels in construction design, engineering design and engineering manufacturing
- Two new T-levels in sport and social care – part of the largest expansion for students who want to specialise in sector-facing studies since the qualifications began
- Occupation Certificates in bricklaying, painting, plumbing, accounts and finance, and adult care worker
- Foundation Certificates in engineering, health, legal services, and social care
“These reforms, including the introduction of new V-levels, Foundation Certificates and Occupational Certificates, will provide clearer, more flexible pathways for young people to gain the skills employers urgently need,” said the Bedford College Group’s CEO.
“The significant investment in industry placements is particularly welcome.
“Giving students real experience on-site is essential to developing job readiness and supporting employers to address critical skills shortages in construction and engineering.
“As the National Construction Centre of Excellence, we are proud to support this ambition and work in partnership with employers to deliver the skilled workforce needed to drive housebuilding, infrastructure and economic growth.”
Training new talent
The government has said it is creating tens of thousands of placements as part of a £96m effort to train new talent in the construction industry and to build much-needed homes.
Funding is set to be allocated across the country on Friday (22 May) to provide hands-on learning and boost employability for learners who start their construction courses from this September.
The DfE says these plans are central to the Prime Minister’s ambition to ensure two-thirds of young people are in a gold standard apprenticeship, higher training or university by the age of 25.
The government’s skills minister Jacqui Smith said: “We’re removing the snobbery from hands-on learning and putting it on par with academic to break down barriers for young people to get rewarding jobs.
“Our landmark vocational qualifications and placements will create a strong pipeline of workers by equipping young people with the real-world skills that employers need, and that will fuel the jobs of the future.”
“An exciting moment for our region”
The MP for Bedford and Kempston, Mohammad Yasin (Labour) described the news as “an exciting moment for our region”.
“I welcome this further major investment in construction training across the East of England and the opportunities it will create for young people, adult learners and employers alike,” he said.
“The Bedford College Group is well placed to be a centre of excellence for construction and technical skills, supporting the workforce needed for future infrastructure, housing and economic growth across our region, while helping both the next generation entering work and those looking to retrain for new careers in a growing sector.
“These opportunities will help ensure people have clear pathways into skilled employment, while giving employers access to the talent they urgently need. It’s an exciting moment for our region to live, work and grow, and I welcome the government’s commitment to building the workforce of the future.”
