TENS of thousands of placements will be created for aspiring construction workers in a £96 million boost to train new talent and build more homes.  

Funding is set to be allocated across the country on Friday (22^nd) to provide hands-on learning and boost employability for learners who start their construction courses from this September. This is part of the £625m Construction Skills Package aiming to train up 60,000 skilled workers by 2029.   

The construction industry is facing significant shortages, with the latest Office for National Statistics figures showing that there are over 35,000 job vacancies – over half of which are due to a lack of required skills. 

It comes as the government hits a major milestone in helping to bring vocational education on par with academic. It has published a plan to support schools and colleges to transition from legacy qualifications at the same level, including BTECs, to a clearer system of V Levels, T Levels and A Levels from 2027 as options after GCSEs, along with two new qualifications for lower attaining students to support them to progress beyond GCSEs. 

New subjects have been announced for the second year of delivery in 2028 that will help to address skills shortages and boost key industries such as housebuilding. These subjects include construction design, bricklaying and plumbing. The plan also includes detailed rollout timelines, and advice on content development to help providers transition. 

Together, these plans are central to the Prime Minister’s ambition to ensure two thirds of young people are in a gold standard apprenticeship, higher training or university by the age of 25, boosting priority sectors including housebuilding, and driving economic growth as part of national renewal.  

Skills Minister Jacqui Smith said:  

“We’re removing the snobbery from hands-on learning and putting it on par with academic to break down barriers for young people to get rewarding jobs. 

“Our landmark vocational qualifications and placements will create a strong pipeline of workers by equipping young people with the real-world skills that employers need and that will fuel the jobs of the future.” 

CEO of The Bedford College Group Yiannis Koursis OBE said:

“This is a hugely important step forward in strengthening the UK’s construction workforce and ensuring post-16 vocational education has the recognition and clarity it rightly deserves.

At The Bedford College Group, we see first-hand the transformative impact that high-quality technical education and meaningful industry placements has on our students, apprentices, employers and the local economy. These reforms, including the introduction of new V Levels, Foundation Certificates and Occupational Certificates, will provide clearer, more flexible pathways for young people to gain the skills employers urgently need.

“The significant investment in industry placements is particularly welcome. Giving students real experience on-site is essential to developing job readiness and supporting employers to address critical skills shortages in construction and engineering.

“As the National Construction Centre of Excellence, we are proud to support this ambition and work in partnership with employers to deliver the skilled workforce needed to drive housebuilding, infrastructure and economic growth.”

Announced in the Post-16 Education and Skills White Paper, V Levels will sit alongside A-levels and T-levels. Equivalent to one A Level, they will allow students to mix and match academic and vocational subjects if they do not yet know where they want to specialise.  

For 16-year-olds who are not ready to progress beyond GCSEs due to lower attainment, there are two new qualifications: 

• Occupational Certificates: two-year courses for those who want to get into work or an apprenticeship but need support to achieve English and Maths GCSEs. 
• Foundation Certificates: one-year courses for students who want to progress to A-levels, T-levels or V-levels but need extra support to pass their GCSEs. 

New subjects available from 2028 include: 

• V Levels in construction design, engineering design and engineering manufacturing. 
• Two new T Levels in sport and social care – part of the largest expansion for students who want to specialise in sector-facing studies since the qualifications began. 
• Occupation Certificates in bricklaying, painting, plumbing, accounts and finance, and adult care worker. 
• Foundation Certificates in engineering, health, legal services, and social care. 

A new sector-led group, ‘Qualification Practitioners’, has been created to lead the way for the sector, shaping and sharing best practice as providers transition to the new qualifications. Providers will be required to have robust transition plans to support staff, students, and employers through the change. 

In the East of England, they are:

• Harlow College  
• Suffolk New College  
• Saffron Walden County High  

New guidance has also been published removing the red tape around T Level industry placements. This includes scrapping the limits on the percentage of remote hours a student can do or how many employers they work with. This helps more young people to access premium placements and empowers businesses to offer placements that work for everyone.   

Principal and CEO, Suffolk New College Alan Pease, said:

“I’m delighted that Suffolk New College has been selected to work with the DfE as a Qualifications Pioneer. This partnership reflects our shared commitment to innovation, excellence, and ensuring that learners gain the skills they need to thrive in a rapidly changing world.

“This is an exciting time for post-16 providers, and I look forward to supporting the implementation of a new suite of qualifications that will give a parity of esteem between academic, vocational, and technical study programmes.”

Director of Sixth Form at Saffron Walden County High School Amy Kennedy said:

“It is exciting to be part of a project that will expand the choices available to young people after GCSEs.

“The proposed V Levels will offer a genuine alternative to the traditional binary pathways of A Levels or vocational routes, providing students with the opportunity to develop valuable, work ready skills while still maintaining the academic rigour needed for progression to university.”