Tony Mitchell, director at O’Brien Contractors, explores the government’s technical education reforms and how they will help upskill the construction industry
The government’s decision to put technical education and practical skills on a more equal footing with academic education is something the construction industry should welcome. For too long, people have assumed the traditional university route is the natural destination for young people, with vocational careers sometimes treated as a fallback option rather than an equally valuable choice.
That needs to change. Construction offers a huge range of career opportunities, from skilled trades and plant operation through to engineering, quantity surveying and project management, as well as providing a potential route into self-employment and business ownership. If we are serious about tackling the skills shortage, young people need to be made aware of those opportunities much earlier and given the chance to experience them first-hand.
The technical education reforms must provide flexibility to work
The government’s proposal to increase exposure to technical education and work experience from age 14 could be a significant step forward. The principle is right, but the policy’s success will depend on how it works beyond the announcement.
In reality, some parts of the country offer limited opportunities for a 14-year-old to access meaningful construction training. At this age, young people cannot drive, and many families will not have the money or flexibility to take them across the region for training or onto sites. If technical education is genuinely going to provide another pathway, access cannot depend on where someone lives or whether their parents can afford to get them there. We need more facilities in the right places and consideration of how young people will travel to them.
A similar issue arises when it comes to moving from education into the workplace. Construction is a hands-on industry, and there is only so much you can learn in a classroom. Young people need to see how the skills they are developing are applied on a live project, but legitimate barriers prevent under-18s from getting onto construction sites. Insurance is one of them. Many companies and sites cannot allow under-18s on site, including some of the Tier 1 contractors that arguably have the greatest ability to provide meaningful work experience. Restrictions also limit the hours young people can work. Those rules exist for good reason, but they can create logistical difficulties when sites are some distance from home. These are the sorts of practical issues the government must address if it wants employers to provide meaningful opportunities rather than simply tick a box for work experience.
Supporting young people into lifelong careers
That does not mean the construction industry is unwilling to take on young people – quite the opposite. Many contractors have done this for years, and apprenticeships remain one of the best ways to bring new talent into the sector. The benefit goes beyond businesses getting the workers they need. Young people gain skills and experience that can support a career for decades, and some will eventually go on to start businesses of their own. With new research suggesting that more than 40% of Gen Z want to run their own business, there is a real opportunity to connect young people’s entrepreneurial ambitions with an industry that offers multiple routes into self-employment.
Smaller businesses in construction are particularly important here. Much of the sector is made up of family-run and independent contractors who can provide excellent training but may not have the resources of a large organisation. However, with businesses already dealing with higher labour and material costs, taking on an apprentice can be a significant commitment. If we want more of these businesses to participate, the process needs to be simple, and the support needs to be there.
New workers will need to adapt to technological advances
We should also be careful not to assume that technology will remove the need for practical skills. AI and automation will undoubtedly change construction, and technology can improve efficiency or remove repetitive work in many tasks. But construction doesn’t happen in a controlled factory environment: sites change, weather changes, and unexpected problems arise. Some situations will always require someone with practical knowledge and the ability to adapt. The challenge is ensuring the next generation has access to both sides of that equation.
Construction needs people who understand new technology, but it also needs skilled tradespeople, engineers and technicians who understand how things work in the real world.
The government has made a positive statement about the value of technical skills and the construction industry will welcome that, but we now need to see the detail behind it. If we can make technical education accessible, connect it properly with employers, and remove some of the barriers that currently prevent young people from gaining practical experience, then this could be an important opportunity to build the industry’s future workforce.
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