As part of its commitment to ensuring that every young person has access to further education, training or a job, the Government has launched the ‘Youth Guarantee’, a nationwide scheme offering funding to employers to help them provide opportunities to young people.

What’s avaiable through the Youth Guarantee

• Apprenticeship Hiring Payment – £2,000 is available to employers in England who do not pay the Apprenticeship Levy for every new apprentice they take on aged between 16 and 24. The funding will be paid automatically by the training provider in two equal instalments (at 90 days and one year after the apprenticeship started).
• Youth Jobs Grant – £3,000 for employers in Great Britain taking on a young person aged 18 to 24 who has been on Universal Credit and looking for work for over six months. Eligible employers can submit vacancies, which must be for a minimum of 25 hours per week for 16 weeks, and the grant will be paid in two stages (£1,800 after six weeks and £1,200 after 18 weeks).

Jobs Guarantee – Funding to provide a six‐month paid job for a young person aged 18 to 24 who has been on Universal Credit for 18 months or more, which is due to be rolled out across Great Britain from November. The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is hosting a series of webinars on the Jobs Guarantee for members that would like to find out more.

For employers in England, the Government pays 100% of apprenticeship training and assessment costs for apprentices aged 16 to 24, and there are also financial incentives available of £1,000 for apprentices aged 16 to 18 and £2,000 for foundation apprentices aged 16 to 21, in addition to the funding available through the Youth Guarantee.

For more information contact the FIS Skills Team on 0121 707 0077 or email info@thefis.org 

The skills shortage in our sector isn’t going away, and addressing it will require a practical, collaborative approach across our industry. That’s exactly what FIS and The Skills Centre are working together to deliver.

FIS has partnered with The Skills Centre to run a series of Skills Bootcamps, designed to produce trained, motivated, and job-ready individuals who are ready to enter the workforce.

Each candidate completes an intensive four-week programme, developed with industry input, and focused on the practical skills required for drylining and interior fit-out roles. The training combines hands-on learning with the knowledge, skills and behaviours needed to succeed on site from day one.

How can you help?

We’re looking for employers to support the next stage of the programme by helping candidates transition into the workplace. Full support will be provided throughout the process.

We are seeking employers who can offer:

• Interviews
• Two-week work placements
• Employment opportunities

What’s in it for you?

By getting involved, you’ll benefit from:

• Early access to motivated, entry-level talent with relevant industry training
• A direct recruitment pipeline into your workforce
• Support in meeting social value and local employment commitments
• The opportunity to help shape the future workforce of our sector

Programme details

Location: Build East Skills Centre, Bassett Lane, Stratford, London, E9 5EN

Choose a convenient slot during one of the following weeks to meet the learners:

• Week commencing 9 November
• Week commencing 14 December
• Week commencing 1 February

More opportunities to meet the learners will be available in 2027.

This is a fantastic opportunity to see the training in action, understand the programme first-hand and meet potential future employees.

If not you, who?

We all have a role to play in developing the workforce our industry needs. By supporting these bootcamps, you’ll be helping to create opportunities for new entrants while strengthening the future talent pipeline for our sector.

If you’re interested in attending, offering opportunities to candidates, or simply finding out more, please contact Marie Flinter at marieflinter@thefis.org

The Construction Leadership Council is hosting a webinar to support construction employers in offering placement opportunities. During the session you will be among the first to gain access to the new Construction Industry Placements Playbook, an easy-to-use guide to work placements, delving deeper into how placements are vital to showcasing what a career in our sector looks like. There will also be guidance on funding that is available to employers.

FIS Head of Skills Beena Nana said:

“FIS has been supporting this work to help address one of the biggest challenges facing our industry – attracting and developing the people we need for the future. Industry placements, done right gives individuals a chance to see what a career in construction really looks like, while helping employers connect with potential future recruits. If we want to build a stronger talent pipeline, we need to make it easier for businesses to open their doors and provide these opportunities. This webinar and the new Playbook are aimed to help employers take that vital first step.”

Webinar details:

• Date: 11 November 2026.
• Time: 12 noon – 1 pm
• Location: Online via Microsoft Teams.

Register your interest: CSMB Work Placement Webinar

FIS has successfully been awarded funding through the Construction Industry Training Board’s (CITB) new Specialist Upskilling Fund, supporting efforts to address skills shortages and improve access to high-quality training across the fit-out, drylining and plastering sector.

FIS is one of 11 organisations selected by CITB following a strong response to its call for applications. The Specialist Upskilling Fund has been established to help remove barriers to training in specialist areas of construction and increase access to sector-specific competence training and NVQ achievement.

For FIS members, this provides an opportunity for us to work with employers and training providers to strengthen the skills pipeline across our sector, helping businesses identify any skills gaps, develop their workforce and ensure that workers have the competence required to meet the changing demands of the industry.

FIS will be offering support to members in accessing cost-effective, high-quality training and guidance, with a particular focus on supporting progression towards recognised sector-specific qualifications.

Beena Nana, Head of Skills and Training at FIS said:

“This is a fantastic opportunity to help FIS members address skills gaps, strengthen their workforce and support progression towards recognised qualifications. By improving access to high quality, sector specific training, we can help build a more skilled and competent workforce for the future of our industry.”

The CITB Specialist Upskilling Fund will support a range of specialist construction sectors, with successful applicants also including organisations representing civils and infrastructure, heritage, plant hire, retrofit, roofing, shopfitting, tunnelling and drilling, wood occupations and contract flooring.

Julia Stevens, Director of Industry Delivery at CITB, said:

“We’re pleased to share the successful applicants that have been awarded funding through our Specialist Upskilling Fund.

“We remain committed to providing sector-specific skills investment to ensure that support is available to construction employers to help develop their businesses and train their teams.”

FIS members are invited to contact Marie Flinter who will be able to provide further information on this programme.