Construction apprentices drop out because there are no houses to build
Construction apprentices drop out because there are no houses to build
Sabrina MillerSat, July 25, 2026 at 5:00 PM UTC
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Little more than half of those starting construction apprenticeships are finishing them - Monty Rakusen/Cultura RF
Apprentice builders are dropping out of their courses because there are no houses for them to build, experts have suggested.
It follows an admission by Angela Rayner, who was reappointed Housing Secretary this week, that it would be a “stretch” for the Government to meet Labour’s 2024 manifesto pledge to build 1.5 million new homes by 2029.
Steve Turner, from the Home Builders Federation, said the “biggest reason” for low retention rates on construction courses is that “the Government is not building enough homes”.
To achieve its goal the Government must build an average of 300,000 new homes each year. But in the first two years of this parliament only 295,150 houses have been finished.
Meanwhile, a Telegraph analysis of Government figures found that apprentices in “construction, planning and the built environment” had a completion rate of around 58.3 per cent in 2024-25, the lowest of any apprenticeship sector in the country.
Angela Rayner, the Housing Secretary, admitted that meeting the Government’s target of 1.5m new homes would be a ‘stretch’ - TOLGA AKMEN/EPA/Shutterstock/Shutterstock Editorial
Speaking to The Telegraph, Mr Turner said: “It’s a bit of a chicken and egg situation.
“There are plenty of young people going into college courses and doing construction, and interested in house building.
“But unfortunately, if you’ve not got jobs to put them into, or sites on which to train them, they don’t get their qualifications.
“They don’t get placements, and so they drift off into other areas.
“You have to increase output and then the industry will look to take on more apprenticeships and young people.”
On Monday Andy Burnham will talk about the need to invest in vocational and educational opportunities, such as apprenticeships, to help young people find employment.
But Telegraph analysis showed around 35 per cent of apprentices dropped out of their apprenticeship courses without qualification.
Of the 636 different apprenticeships on offer, some 44 are completed by fewer than half the people who start, according to the 2024-25 data.
Around 10 of these fell into the “building and construction” sub-category, and this included craft bricklayers who had an achievement rate of just 30 per cent.
Air conditioning and heat pump technician schemes were completed by 34.5 per cent, while just 44.2 per cent of plumbing and heating apprentices received the expected qualification last year.
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The numbers contrast starkly with train drivers and biomedical apprentices who have success rates of 90.5 and 100 per cent respectively.
Steven Mulholland, chief executive of the Construction Plant-hire Association, which represents more than 2,000 construction plant-hire businesses, said the Government should have “acted much sooner” to meet its housing goals.
He added: “Improving apprenticeship retention starts with making it easier for businesses to invest in young people.
“Right now, the opposite is happening.”
“Our latest survey found 43 per cent of firms are taking on fewer apprentices over the next year because rising operating costs, employment costs, regulation and weak pipelines of work are forcing them to scale back,” Mr Mullholland added.
“Those findings couldn’t come at a worse time.
“Construction needs more than 41,000 additional workers every year, while almost half a million existing workers are expected to retire over the next 15 years.
“It is telling that ministers are now admitting the 1.5m homes target will be a ‘stretch’.
“Our industry has been warning for months that rising costs and increasing burdens are making it harder for businesses to invest in apprentices, skills and the equipment needed to build Britain.”
Tim Balcon, the chief executive of the Construction Industry Training Board, added: “The Government’s £625m funding package for construction skills last year was unprecedented.
“Nonetheless, we need to ensure that people don’t just start apprenticeships, but complete them, move into jobs, and remain in the industry.
“Part of the solution is finding a way to give employers greater confidence to hire new entrants and provide them with long-term employment, and one way this can be achieved is by ensuring construction training is closely connected to real employment opportunities.”
A government spokesman said: “It’s wrong to suggest construction apprenticeship achievement rates are low across the board. Standards like craft carpentry and joinery have an impressive 82.9 per cent achievement rate, and the overall qualification achievement rate for all apprentices has risen 14 per cent in three years.
“As Alan Milburn made clear, youth unemployment is a complex, long-term issue. That’s why we’ve created 300,000 new work experience and training placements in sectors including construction, as part of a £2.5bn package to move young people into sustained work.
“We’re also getting Britain building again, with an estimated 130,170 new build starts in the year to March – a 15 per cent increase on the previous year, creating opportunity across the country.”
Source: “AOL Money”
