A former UK skills minister has called for urgent action to address the construction industry’s skills crisis.
In an interview on the Federation of Master Builders’ (FMB) ‘Build Up from the Basement’ podcast, The Rt Hon Sir John Hayes OBE MP also backed the trade body’s campaign to introduce licensing and protect consumers from rogue builders.
Sir John, who focused heavily on raising apprenticeship numbers during his tenure in the role, warned that the UK Government’s housing targets cannot be achieved without addressing fundamental skills shortages. He said, “The government has these plans to build houses. You’ve got to have people to do that, and that means equipping people with the necessary skills.”
Drawing on his experience with charity YouthBuild UK, which helps disadvantaged young people to enter construction through apprenticeships, Sir John, who is also honorary president of the charity, emphasised the power of practical skills.
He endorsed the FMB’s campaign for mandatory builder licensing, adding, “My great-grandfather and great-great-grandfather were stone masons on my father’s side, and they would have been through a long period of learning and then gained a license to practice in their craft.”
Sir John shared a personal anecdote about his father almost falling victim to rogue builders. “There was a chap at the door… ‘I’ve come to replace the roof’. When I said to my father, ‘why are we having the roof replaced?’ (the scammer said) ‘this roof must be 60-years-old, you need to get it replaced right now’.”
The MP for South Holland and The Deepings emphasised how licensing could prevent such exploitation. “If in order to trade, you have to be able to show a level of professionalism, a degree of competence, that means that people won’t end up being cheated.”
Brian Berry, CEO of the Federation of Master Builders, commented, “I am delighted that Sir John Hayes has openly backed the FMB’s campaign for the licensing of building companies. We need to promote the issue far and wide.
“Too many people across the country are being affected by rogue companies. A staggering £14.3 billion has been lost to rogue traders over the last five years. A mandatory licensing scheme of building companies is the only way to protect homeowners and reputable builders.”
The interview concluded with Sir John’s message to young people considering construction apprenticeships. “I’ve met a lot of young people at our annual awards who tell their story – when they recount the journey they’ve travelled, the hurdles they’ve overcome, it touches your heart because you can see how engagement with meaningful exercise of learning a craft creates connections that are life-changing.
“It’s about changing lives by changing life chances – that’s what it’s about in the construction industry.”
