With industry forecasts highlighting the need for 6,850 new construction recruits in the North East by 2028, the latest Building Your Future construction careers event has taken place at Northumberland College.
The event, delivered by Northern Counties Builders Federation (NCBF), working with the faculty of construction at Northumberland College, forms part of an ongoing industry response to workforce shortages across the UK construction sector, which continue to affect housing delivery and infrastructure programmes nationwide.
Launched in 2023, the Building Your Future initiative brings together contractors and final-year students studying key construction trades.
Previous events have been supported by further education colleges across the region, including Sunderland, Darlington and Hartlepool.
The Northumberland College event included networking sessions, presentations from NCBF and a tour of the college’s construction facilities.
Many of the region’s construction SMEs attended including, Carney Consultancy, Compass Developments, True North Construction, Classic Masonry, Able Construction, Bespoke Concrete, Northern Ceiling & Partitions, RE:GEN Group, Bernicia Homes and Karbon Homes.
Employers spoke to final year trade students studying bricklaying, plumbing and carpentry, providing students with the opportunity to discuss pathways into employment.
The NCBF represents construction companies and contractors operating across the North East of England. Its work includes supporting apprenticeships, training and workforce development within the regional construction sector.
Angela Carney, president of the NCBF, said: “Our Building Your Future campaign bridges the gap between employers connecting with students. The construction sector plays a pivitol role in the North East economy and it’s crucial that trade courses remain high on the agenda.
“We were really impressed by the confidence of the students and their eagerness to speak and learn from employers. Whether they benefit from hearing about the transition into the workplace or, ultimately, be offered a job, it’s wonderful to see the next generation of our tradespeople ready and willing to put their skills to the test.
“Latest projections by the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB), highlights the need for a massive influx of new people into the industry to meet future infrastructure and housing needs. This offers a golden opportunity for those young people about to embark on a career in the sector to forge stellar careers.”
According to the CITB, 251,500 extra workers will be required to meet UK construction output by 2028, including 6,850 in the North East (50,300 per year, an increase on the 44,890 in the 2023-27 outlook), with the major sectors for demand being private housing, infrastructure, repair and maintenance.
Iain Nixon, group executive principal – regional skills at Education Partnership North East said: “We were privileged to host the recent Building Your Future event at Northumberland College and to be working in partnership with Northern Counties Builders Federation. This event was a fantastic opportunity to showcase the breadth of careers available in construction across our region and to connect our students directly with leading employers.
“The construction sector is vital to the North East economy, and events such as this reinforce the importance of collaboration between education and industry in addressing the sector’s skills needs.”