The Government has published its Construction Jobs Plan, backed by the £625 million Construction Skills Package. FIS welcomes the Plan, which reflects many of the priorities in our Skills Manifesto, and is working to make sure it delivers for specialist contractors and installers.
Published on 19 October, the Plan sets out a national framework for tackling construction’s workforce and skills shortages. It supports the Construction Skills Mission Board’s (CSMB) ambition of 100,000 job opportunities a year by the end of this Parliament, through ten commitments agreed by industry.
The headline measures include:
- 40,000 industry placements a year for Level 2 and Level 3 construction learners aged 16 and over
- up to 10,000 new construction-focused Foundation Apprenticeships, including a finishing trades route
- 35,000 additional construction-focused Skills Bootcamp places
- a new Construction Apprenticeship Network to help smaller firms recruit apprentices
- dedicated workforce plans for housebuilding, infrastructure, repair and maintenance, and professional and technical roles
Representing members on the Mission Board
FIS has worked closely with the CSMB as the Plan has taken shape. As a member of the CSMB’s Operations Group, we have made sure the voices of specialist contractors, manufacturers and suppliers and the views of the FIS Skills Board (captured through our Skills Manifesto) are heard, and that the Board’s work reflects the realities members face on site. We have also called for construction qualifications to map to the competence frameworks being developed by industry, so that training leads to genuine competence.
Our response
Beena Nana, Head of Skills and Training at FIS, said:
“FIS welcomes the Construction Jobs Plan. A £625 million skills package, 40,000 placements a year and a Construction Apprenticeship Network for smaller firms are real steps towards the joined-up, employer-led approach we set out in our Skills Manifesto.
“For our sector, the test is whether this support reaches the specialist trades – drylining, plastering, ceilings and partitions, carpenters and joiners – where shortages bite hardest. Our Skills Manifesto calls for the 40,000 placements to be judged on how many lead to real jobs, and for finishing trades to be in the first wave of competence frameworks built into funded qualifications. Placements and apprenticeships must lead to recognised competence, not just headline numbers.
“FIS is ready to help deliver. Through our Skills Bootcamps, competency frameworks and work with CITB, we are already bringing new people into finishes and interiors. Through our work with the Construction Skills Mission Board, we will keep feeding in the voice of our members to make sure this Plan works for specialist contractors and SMEs.”
What it means for members
Several new and existing schemes in the Plan can help members recruit and train now:
- Apprenticeship hiring payment: from October 2026, non-levy employers (typically SMEs) receive £2,000 for taking on a 16–24-year-old apprentice as a new employee, including foundation apprentices.
- Fully funded training: apprenticeship training is fully funded for eligible apprentices under 25, for all employers, from August 2026.
- Foundation Apprenticeships: a Level 2 finishing trades route, with up to £2,000 extra for employers on top of the hiring payment.
- Industry placements: an Industry Placement Playbook, due this autumn, will guide employers hosting three-week placements for Level 2 and 3 learners.
- Recruitment support: CITB’s New Entrant Support Team (NEST) helps SMEs and micro-businesses recruit, fund and keep apprentices and new entrants.
- Skills Bootcamps: FIS runs Skills Bootcamps with The Skills Centre to produce job-ready drylining and interior fit-out recruits.
Over the coming weeks, FIS will share guidance on how members can make the most of these schemes. For help now, contact the FIS Skills team at info@thefis.org or 0121 707 0077, or visit the FIS Skills Hub.
Read more: the Construction Jobs Plan on GOV.UK · the FIS Skills Manifesto