Britain's construction industry has set out an ambition to create 100,000 job opportunities a year by the end of this Parliament, under a Construction Jobs Plan published by the Government on 19 October 2026. The plan is part of the wider Industrial Strategy and aims to fix the skills shortages holding back housebuilding and infrastructure.

The sector employs around 2.2 million people and must deliver 1.5 million homes alongside £725 billion of infrastructure investment over the coming years. The plan brings government, employers, training providers and local leaders together around a single workforce framework.

Placements and apprenticeships

At the heart of the plan are 40,000 industry placements each year for eligible construction learners aged 16 and over at Level 2 and Level 3. Those placements form part of the 100,000-a-year ambition, not an extra 100,000 on top of it, and an industry placement playbook is due to guide employers hosting learners.

The plan also funds up to 10,000 construction-focused Foundation Apprenticeships and 35,000 additional construction-focused Skills Bootcamp places. Together with the £625 million Construction Skills Package, the measures aim to train up to 60,000 additional skilled workers during this Parliament.

Help for smaller employers

Smaller firms, which often lack the capacity to run apprenticeship programmes, get specific help. A new Construction Apprenticeship Network is planned to help them recruit and support apprentices, and eligible smaller employers taking on apprentices aged 16 to 24 can receive a hiring payment of up to £2,000, alongside fully funded training for eligible apprentices under 25.

Separate workforce plans are also being developed for housebuilding, infrastructure, repair and maintenance, and professional and technical roles. Anyone considering a construction career should look for placement and apprenticeship openings through employers, training providers and the Construction Apprenticeship Network as the plan rolls out.