June 8, 2017
Post-Brexit construction skills shortage may exacerbate housing crisis
Potential curbs on free movement in a post-Brexit UK could exacerbate the housing shortage, as fewer EU construction workers may be willing or able to work in Britain.
The British Property Federation (BPF) is warning that the UK construction industry may be hard-hit by the impact of Brexit if immigration controls for EU workers are tightened.
Chief Executive of BPF, Melanie Leech, Said: "Talent is a critical issue to sort and, in our sector, it's construction skills."
She continued: "There are a huge number of workers coming from within and outside the EU currently and, if we're going to have a really ambitious house-building programme and we're going to build the business infrastructure we need for the 21st century, we have to make sure we can staff the construction industry."
The government is taking steps to boost the training of UK construction workers in a bid to make sure more people have the necessary skills to deliver on both current and future building projects.
In the last Spring Budget, Chancellor Philip Hammond announced that the government was pouring an extra £500 million a year into technical education. New T-Levels will be introduced in 2019, which will train students for employment in the construction industry.
Meanwhile in London, Mayor Sadiq Khan has launched the Construction Skills Academy. The Construction Skills Academy forms part of the Mayor's Skills for Londoners programme, and aims to increase the number of skilled construction workers in the capital.
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