Tens of thousands of placements will be created for aspiring construction workers, including in Portsmouth, as part of Labour’s £96 million boost to train new talent and build more homes.
- Portsmouth College to get a share of £96 million to create tens of thousands of placements on building sites across the country to plug skills gaps and boost housebuilding
- Plan published to support schools and colleges to deliver V Levels and other new vocational qualifications, including announcing new subjects from 2028
- Progress to help reach the Prime Minister’s target for two thirds of young people to be in higher level learning by aged 25 to support them into rewarding, well-paid jobs
Funding is set to be allocated to Portsmouth College to provide hands-on learning and boost employability for learners who start their construction courses from this September.
Following 14 years of being side-lined under the Conservatives, the construction industry faces 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.
Labour is taking action to bring vocational education on par with academic. It has published a plan to support schools and colleges to transition 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 to address skills shortages and boost key industries such as housebuilding. These subjects include construction design, bricklaying and plumbing.
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.”
MP for Portsmouth North Amanda Martin said: “A housebuilding revolution requires a skills revolution, and this investment into Portsmouth College puts our area at the centre of it.
“I warmly welcome Labour’s shake up of the education system – at last, putting hands on skills on a par with academic smarts. People in Portsmouth have an abundance of both and both deserved to be championed. I have been meeting and lobbying minister Smith for a bigger focus on construction since my election alongside my tool theft campaign.
“After years of drift and decline, Labour is cracking on – building homes for families and opportunity for young people.”
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 quite ready to progress beyond GCSEs , 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 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.
New guidance has also been published removing the red tape around T Level industry placements to help more young people access premium placements and empowers businesses to offer placements that work for everyone.
