Homebuilding Sector Skills Plan
Developed by the Home Builders Federation (HBF) in collaboration with homebuilders and partners, the Home Building Sector Skills Plan provides a roadmap to recruit and train the workforce of the future.
Launched in 2023 and updated in summer 2025, the skills plan outlines workforce challenges within the homebuilding industry, and industry-led initiatives that are underway to tackle them.
Brick Teams Model
New for 2025
Delivered by Site Ready Solutions, the innovative brick teams model aims to address the lack of clear development pathways for entry-level bricklayers. The project introduces a structured team model and a defined progression pathway for new entrants, while embedding mentorship into daily site operations. The initiative is currently being piloted and will provide ongoing support to employers and new entrants to help improve performance and retention.
- Find out more about the training available: Site Ready Solutions
Partner a College
HBF’s Partner a College programme is a two-year CITB-funded pilot designed to create stronger, more effective collaboration between homebuilders and further education (FE) colleges.
It aims to align curriculum content with real-world site demands, improving employability and ensuring that students gain the practical, job-ready skills the industry needs.
By embedding industry expectations directly into the learning experience, the programme aims to create a model for long-term, scalable collaboration. The pilot will culminate in the publishing of a resource toolkit to support employers and FE colleges to better engage in the future.
The pilot programme now also includes an additional element known as the Dual Professional Model, which enables those employed in the homebuilding sector to work within colleges, offering their expertise as part of lessons or workshops.
- More information about participating colleges: Partner a College - HBF
Training Hubs
The skills plan supports a commitment to deliver National House Building Council (NHBC) NHBC skill hubs over ten years to deliver training in critical areas such as brickwork, carpentry, roofing, and groundworks. Once fully operational, the hubs will support 3,000 apprenticeships annually.
In the future, the hubs will cover additional training elements that will emerge as part of net zero ambitions, modern methods of construction (MMC), and the Future Homes Standard.
- The Lichfield Training hub is now operational, with further sites being considered
Brickwork, Roofing and Dry Lining Masterclasses
Funded by CITB and delivered by NHBC, HBF’s masterclass initiative has so far seen more than 15,000 tradespeople upskilled across the UK. The Brickwork Masterclass was first launched in 2019 and has subsequently been joined by both a roofing and a dry lining offer.
Each masterclass has been developed in partnership with relevant trade bodies to promote best practice and provide practical skills and knowledge to address common issues found by NHBC inspection teams, therefore helping to reduce onsite remediation.
In-company sessions are bookable for sites across the UK via the NHBC website, with open training bookable at NHBC Training Hubs.
For more information:
Support for Recruitment of Apprentices
Hiring and retaining new talent, particularly apprentices, can be challenging for employers. Our team of advisers work with micro, small and medium-sized businesses across Great Britain to overcome these barriers. We can help you find local training provision, access Government and CITB funding, and provide mentoring for those who are supporting trainees.
Competence Frameworks
Ensuring that your workers possess the right levels of competence is vital for a successful construction business. Alongside key homebuilding stakeholders, we are reviewing and refining competence frameworks relevant to the sector. This will involve examining existing frameworks to make sure they reflect the correct level of competence needed to carry out the role, as well as agreeing appropriate frameworks for future use.
Women into Homebuilding
The Women into Homebuilding programme is part of the Homebuilding Sector Skills Plan but delivered separately from the above projects. The programme is designed to attract more women into site-based management roles, a historically underrepresented area of the industry.
It offers structured work experience in site management and a pathway into employment, with many participants progressing to roles within the sector.
CITB representative: Juliet Smithson
Chair: Neil Jefferson, Home Builders Federation (HBF)
Investment: £3m
Aims and objectives:
- Align the supply of skilled workers with the sector's growing demands
- Upskill the current workforce and attract new talent
- Boost productivity of the workforce
- Improve the quality of new homes and reduce defects