Skills Shortages
The finishes and interiors sector provides employment to around 250,000 people in the UK, annual recruitment to sustain this workforce is estimated to be over 2,500 workers. FIS has a dedicated team working to support the recruitment and training of a competent workforce.
Fixing a broken skills system
Blueprint for Better Construction: Installer Skills and Training
Construction is facing a major skills shortage due to a lack of new entrants, problems with suitability and quality of skills of new entrants, changes in immigration rules, erosion in the availability and quality of provision and some deep-rooted cultural challenges.
CSMB was launched in summer 2025 as an industry initiative, working in partnership with UK Government to make sure that the sector has the skilled workforce required to deliver its future workload. The Construction Skills Mission Board (CSMB) Operations Group, meeting weekly to review progress against the targets. By 2029 it will target bringing in the 100,000 per year new workers needed by the sector to deliver Government’s built environment, net zero and infrastructure commitments.
In all our dealings with Government and the wider industry, FIS carries a clear mandate developed through research and engagement with members.
Competence
Competence is now a requirement of compliance with Building Regulations and Standards. FIS has been working to develop core industry standards, guidance and frameworks an active member of the Industry Competence Steering Group (ICSG) and working closely with the Industry Competence Committee (part of the Building Safety Regulator). FIS has both chaired and supported a number of working groups established to support industry through this transition.
Immigration
FIS has repeatedly raised concerns that the points based immigration system fails to recognise core trades as “skilled workers”, lacks flexibility and has not factored in the impact of COVID on “shortages” in the sector. It is not currently equipped to support evolution in the sector.
The latest FIS Statement and submission to the Home Office on Skills Shortages can be viewed here
Access the FIS Right to Work Toolkit here
FIS wider work to support skills in the sector
FIS is running a number of programmes to help attack the skills shortage in the finishes and interiors sector you can find out more about that work on the FIS Skills Hub here. This work is all co-ordinated by members through the FIS Skills Board.
Changes to Right to Work checks
Temporary changes to right to work checks introduced in response to the coronavirus pandemic have been extended again and will now end on 30 September 2022. Employers can continue to undertake checks via video calls and use scanned copies rather than original...
FIS Writes to Mayor of London on calls for temporary visa scheme
FIS has written to London mayor Sadiq Khan to follow up on his calls to create a temporary visa scheme for construction workers to tackle the double impact of Brexit and the pandemic on the building industry. London Mayor Sadiq Khan is proposing that ministers create...
Inflation continues to squeeze supply chain
Inflation has hit the headlines this week with figures not seen since the early 1990s reported by the Bank of England. Against this backdrop Iain McIlwee, CEO at the Finishes and Interiors Sector (FIS) reveals new data from the FIS that raises concerns over the...