A new partnership made up of representatives of house builders, warranty providers and training and trade bodies aimed at attracting new people to the construction industry in the UK has met for the first time.
The Board of the Home Building Skills Partnership (HBP) has started work in earnest on plans to attract and train tens of thousands of new workers, led by Redrow Homes chief executive officer John Tutte with a strong group of leaders from across the home building sector.
The HBP aims to develop, grow and sustain a programme to provide the workforce the industry requires to deliver the further increases in housing supply the country desperately needs.
It will focus on attracting new entrants into the industry, and on providing focussed training to develop the qualified workforce needed to construct today’s high quality new homes.
The Board will guide and direct the Partnership and define its operational parameters and priorities. It will also oversee the recruitment of a dedicated team that, in collaboration with the wider supply chain, will drive forward the initiatives on a day to day basis.
Over its first four years it is hoped that HSP programmes will engage with over 3,500 companies, more than 40,000 workers and some 180 Colleges and Training Providers.
‘The house building industry is totally committed to increasing output and meeting the housing needs of the country. The Partnership will help us attract and train the people we need to deliver more, high quality homes in the coming years,’ said Tutte.
‘The broad experience of the Board we have recruited will help us put in place the building blocks we need to succeed. Over the coming years the Partnership will help secure tens of thousands of skilled employees for house builders and the wider industry who will help us solve the housing crisis we now face. More quality people will enable us to deliver more quality homes,’ he added.
The HBP aims to develop an improved public identity for home building, influence the development of a more professional, fully trained workforce and increase productivity and the value added per employee.
It also aims to improve the quality and relevance of industry training, co-ordinate the tackling of common workforce challenges and influence and leverage investment in skills to the benefit of the home building industry.
