• Liverpool City Region highlighted in national report as a model of employer collaboration

• CITB forecasts need for 47,860 extra construction workers a year

• Every 10,000 homes built supports more than 30,000 jobs

• Construction ranks among top five career interests for young people

Liverpool City Region has been recognised in a new national report as a leading example of how industry collaboration is helping to tackle construction skills shortages and inspire young people into home building careers.

Published by The Careers & Enterprise Company (CEC) in partnership with the Home Builders Federation (HBF) and industry leaders, the report highlights how employers in the City Region are working together to strengthen the local talent pipeline and improve the attractiveness of the sector to young people.

The research, drawing on responses from more than 330,000 young people, shows that construction is now one of the top five career interests nationally, with interest growing throughout secondary school. The challenge is to turn that interest into sustained careers.

Liverpool City Region is showcased as a standout example of how this can be achieved, with SMEs and major housebuilders collaborating to deliver hands-on, high-quality training opportunities that bring careers in home building to life.

At the heart of this success is a strong partnership between local SMEs and major housebuilders, working through the Liverpool City Region Careers Hub.

The report highlights the SPL Change Academy, where SME Sterling Plastering Group has partnered with leading housebuilder Keepmoat to deliver hands-on training through a purpose-built homebuilding facility featuring full-scale house build mock-ups.

Developed in response to persistent skills shortages, low diversity and early attrition in the Liverpool City Region, the Academy is an employer-led initiative creating clearer, more engaging pathways into construction careers.

This model demonstrates how SMEs can work alongside major developers to create clear, engaging pathways into construction, helping young people build confidence, develop technical skills and understand real career opportunities.

Cllr Graham Morgan, Cabinet Member for Housing and Regeneration at the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority, said:

“This report highlights just how important initiatives like this are in helping us build the workforce we need for the future. As we continue to deliver new homes across the Liverpool City Region, it’s vital that young people can clearly see the opportunities available to them in housebuilding.

“Through the work of the Careers Hub and partnerships with local employers, we are bringing those opportunities to life, giving young people real insight, hands-on experience and clear pathways into rewarding careers. By connecting education with industry, we’re not only supporting our young people to succeed, but also strengthening our local economy and ensuring we have the skills needed to meet future demand.”

The recognition comes at a critical time for the industry. The Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) estimates that the UK will need approximately 47,860 additional construction workers each year, while HBF data shows that every 10,000 homes built supports more than 30,000 jobs across the economy. At a time when close to one million young people are not in education, employment or training (NEET), it highlights a major opportunity to connect more young people with high-quality careers in home building.

The report also highlights ongoing challenges:

• Converting young people’s interest into sustained employment

• Addressing the “leaky pipeline”, where learners leave training before establishing long-term careers

It also points to wider issues including low awareness of career pathways and significant gender disparities, with just 3% of girls expressing interest in construction careers.

The report positions Liverpool City Region as part of a wider national movement demonstrating what works, particularly the power of coordinated, place-based collaboration between employers, education providers and Careers Hubs.

It calls for:

• Earlier and sustained engagement with young people

• Clearer pathways from education into employment

• Stronger collaboration across industry – with greater support for SME involvement

• Careers Hubs to scale impact and support SME involvement

John Yarham, CEO of The Careers & Enterprise Company (CEC), said:

“This report shows there is already strong momentum across the home building sector to create meaningful opportunities for young people.

“Interest from young people is high and growing, but we need to translate that into sustained careers. By connecting education, employers and local skills priorities, we can help more young people to see home building as a rewarding future and support the workforce that the sector – and the country – needs.”

Andy George, Director of Industry Attraction and Skills at the Home Builders Federation, said:

“Awareness of construction roles is strong, yet young people and career influencers often overlook home building as a respected, meaningful and long-term career path. As a result, the talent pipeline is weakening with too many individuals choosing alternative routes or starting training but not completing it.

“Building understanding of the range of careers and progression opportunities, and opening opportunities for young people to experience these roles, is fundamental to changing this.

“We are already seeing strong outreach across the industry through initiatives set out in the Home Building Sector Skills Plan, which are helping to shift perceptions, creating clear routes into employment and strengthening students’ work-readiness. This research shows that we must build on this momentum by scaling what works, providing more meaningful work experiences and a clearer understanding of the long-term careers – not just jobs – available within home building.”

The report comes as Government has announced a £600 million investment to train up to 60,000 more skilled construction workers over the next four years, underlining the national focus on strengthening the future construction workforce.