The newly formed Construction Skills Mission Board (CSMB) held its inaugural meeting on 26 June 2025, setting a bold trajectory for the sector: recruiting 100,000 new construction workers per year by the end of the current Parliament.
Chaired by Mark Reynolds, Co-Chair of the Construction Leadership Council, the CSMB will act as a central coordinating body to address the construction industry’s chronic skills shortage, in collaboration with both industry leaders and government.
Attendees at the first meeting included the Deputy Prime Minister and Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, the Rt Hon Angela Rayner MP, along with major construction bodies and policy influencers.
The Board will focus its efforts around five strategic pillars aimed at strengthening workforce pipelines and improving training outcomes:
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Confidence to employ and invest
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Clear new entrant pathways
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Access to provision and support to train
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Funding that works
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Reliable and rewarding careers
A Collaborative Industry-Government Approach
The launch of the Board signals a stronger, more integrated approach between the construction sector and central government, recognising the urgent need to deliver growth targets while securing the future of the workforce.
Richard Beresford, Chief Executive of the National Federation of Builders (NFB), said:
“The Construction Skills Mission Board (CSMB) is a recognition that construction and government must work together to tackle the skills crisis and achieve its growth ambitions.
The CSMB’s focus on demand acknowledges that unless the regulatory environment enables work pipelines, existing workforces cannot be sustained, and new workers cannot be added in any serious numbers.”
A major part of the strategy is a new partnership between Jobcentres and the construction industry, which aims to better align jobseekers with employment opportunities. This collaboration will help people access roles ranging from bricklayers to project managers, backed by tailored placements, work experience, and relevant skills support.
SMEs Central to Long-Term Success
The Board’s remit places specific emphasis on unlocking opportunities for SMEs, which play a vital role in training but often face systemic barriers.
Rico Wojtulewicz, Head of Policy and Market Insight at the NFB and House Builders Association (HBA), highlighted the challenge facing smaller firms:
“For too long, it was assumed that training workers guarantees jobs. The reality is that while 8 in 10 construction apprentices start their training with SMEs, these businesses only build 9% of homes, are struggling with procurement, and many are leaving the industry due to the broken planning system.
As a result, many learners fall out of training because there isn’t anyone to train to retain them.”
Wojtulewicz continued:
“The missing ingredient has always been government intervention. If the Government can unlock project certainty and pipelines, particularly for SMEs, not only will we see more workers trained, but more will be taken on as direct employees. This means greater job security and clear, long-term career pathways.
It cannot be overstated how important it is that so many government departments will sit on the CSMB. It shows the Labour government have taken their growth challenge seriously.”Read more about the new policy here: https://www.buildnews.co.uk/construction-skills-mission-board-the-union-perspective/
