A pilot training programme designed by builders to tackle the construction industry’s skills shortage has celebrated the graduation of its first cohort of learners.

Build Academy, developed by the Federation of Master Builders (FMB), funded by the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) and delivered with Shooters Hill Sixth Form College, has trained 20 students in practical, multi-trade skills to prepare them for work on site.

The initiative comes as the FMB reports that 61% of its member firms are struggling to recruit skilled tradespeople.

Unlike traditional college courses, Build Academy replicates a working construction environment, with students spending their training in workshops designed to reflect a typical day on site. Learners develop practical skills in bricklaying, carpentry, plastering, tiling and painting and decorating through a curriculum created by FMB members.

The programme forms part of CITB’s forthcoming Repair, Maintenance and Improvement (RMI) Sector Skills Plan, which aims to increase the number of skilled workers needed to deliver the UK’s retrofit ambitions.

Brian Berry, chief executive of the FMB, said the programme demonstrated the value of employers taking the lead in training.

“We cannot build the homes we need without the tradespeople to build them,” he said. “For too long, we have failed to show young people that a career in construction is something to aspire to. The FMB will continue pushing to scale this model across other sites.”

Site-ready trades

Tom Peardon, FMB London director, said the graduates had progressed from having no site experience to becoming “skilled, site-ready tradespeople”, and called on more London contractors to offer them apprenticeships.

The programme has also had a personal impact on participants. Graduate Holly Bennett, who joined Build Academy after initially enrolling on a Level 1 multi-trade course at Shooters Hill Sixth Form College, said the experience had transformed her confidence and career ambitions.

“Carpentry has become my passion,” she said. “The academy completely transformed my confidence, my skills and my ambitions.”

CITB chief executive Tim Balcon said employer-led initiatives such as Build Academy were an important part of addressing the industry’s long-term skills shortage.

“Giving young people the opportunity to develop real, site-ready skills in a working environment is crucial if we are to tackle the skills challenge facing our industry,” he said. “The focus now needs to be supporting learners into long-term careers and ensuring employers continue to create the opportunities that allow them to progress.”

The FMB hopes the pilot can be expanded to other locations as part of wider efforts to strengthen the industry’s future workforce.