Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to her Department’s press release entitled Regional funding to train next generation of construction workers, published on 20 May 2026, what assessment she has made of the capacity of the construction industry to provide sufficient placement opportunities for learners beginning courses from September 2026.

Sector engagement indicates that there is strong employer demand for new entrants and willingness across the sector to offer high-quality placement opportunities, supported by the additional regional funding provided through the Construction Skills Programme.

To support sufficient capacity, the department is engaging closely with industry partners, including major contractors, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), and representative bodies through the Construction Skills Mission Board, employer panels convened by Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) and provider networks, to understand the challenges and barriers they face and inform the development of effective, practical solutions. This has enabled us to identify issues in real time and adapt policy accordingly. Employers have expressed support for recognition of the issue and the overall approach.

The department is also providing targeted funding and incentives to help employers, particularly SMEs, to host placements and are intended to offset some costs and support supervision.

We are employing a mixed model of funding, devolving to Mayoral Strategic Authorities (MSAs) where available, and partnering directly with further education (FE) providers where they are not. The aim is to deliver full coverage for England, harness local insight and relationships to plan provision in line with local labour market needs and leverage regional influence where MSAs are present to manage this.

Additionally, the department is encouraging flexible and innovative delivery models, such as split placements and block placements, and use of training hubs to maximise the number of opportunities available, as we aware the construction sector has an unusually high proportion of SMEs and are keen to allow flexibility in delivery wherever possible and financial support to maximise participation.

The department will continue to work closely with the FE and construction sectors to ensure sufficient high-quality placements are available to support learners and meet the sector’s workforce needs.