Yorkshire construction skills network launches
A regional network of 23 colleges, led by Leeds College of Building, will tackle industry skills shortages across Yorkshire and the Humber.
The Construction Technical Excellence College network brings together Leeds College of Building and 22 college partners to help address the industry’s growing demand for skilled workers.
The network’s regional delivery plans were unveiled at an event hosted by LCB at Leeds’ Royal Armouries Museum on Friday 11 September, attended by more than 160 representatives from the construction industry, education, and local government.
LCB was one of the first further education institutions in the UK to be designated as a CTEC, a specialist FE provider funded by the Government to help address construction skills shortages.
Under the CTEC model, LCB acts as the regional hub for Yorkshire and the Humber, working with its 22 ‘spoke’ colleges, employers, local authorities, and other education and training providers.
The network will share expertise and resources, raise teaching standards, and widen access to construction training across the region.
It will focus on high-demand trades including bricklaying, carpentry, roofing, and electrical work, with the aim of supporting major infrastructure, housing, retrofit, and net zero projects.
The partners also want to tackle barriers preventing people from entering the industry, with a particular focus on underrepresented groups and helping more young people begin careers in construction.
The initiative will also support existing workers to develop new skills and progress within the sector.
The need for additional workers is significant. According to the Construction Industry Training Board, the UK construction industry will require more than 41,000 additional workers every year – around 206,000 over the next five years – to meet baseline demand.
The figure includes replacing workers leaving the industry as the existing workforce ages, alongside challenges around workers’ increasing reluctance to travel long distances for work.
LCB said the regional CTEC network would help ensure Yorkshire and the Humber has the skilled workforce needed to deliver its pipeline of construction and development projects.
LCB has already begun renovating a newly acquired building adjacent to the college’s North Street Campus. The 55,000 sq ft site on Melbourne Street in Leeds increases the size of LCB’s estate by a third and will support the CTEC mission of training up to 40,000 more people in high-demand construction trades by 2029.
Nikki Davis, chief executive & principal of Leeds College of Building, said: “After a year in collaborative development, we were delighted to bring together our network of employers, fellow training providers, strategic authorities, national partners, and government representatives to share how the CTEC model will develop the vital construction workforce that our region urgently needs.
“By working closely with other colleges and independent training providers, we can now start to fill crucial workforce skills gaps – including in green skills, digitisation, and Modern Methods of Construction – using cutting-edge specialist curricula and high-quality teaching practices.”
Rob Holmes, vice principal curriculum, quality and innovation and CTEC lead at Leeds College of Building, added: “This is an exciting phase of the CTEC delivery roll-out.
“By working together, we will create thousands more pathways into skilled employment and drive regional economic growth. This creative collaboration supports Department for Education priorities, positions Yorkshire and the Humber at the forefront of sustainable further education, and reinforces the region’s ambition to lead the transition to a low-carbon future.”
