The Bedford College Group – Written evidence (NTB0009)

Response to the Built Environment Committee Inquiry

On behalf of The Bedford College Group and the Construction Technical Excellence Colleges (CTECs), please find below our response to the Committee's questions regarding construction skills, training completion rates and the streamlining of construction qualifications.

The Committee have heard that some 50% of men and 70% of women do not complete their construction training. What, in your view, are the main causes of these dropout rates? What steps could be taken to lower them?

1. From a Further Education (FE) perspective, improving completion rates in construction training is one of the most significant opportunities to strengthen the industry's workforce pipeline. While recruitment into construction programmes remains strong, too many learners fail to progress through training and into sustained employment, creating what is often referred to as a "leaky pipeline". Around 47% of construction apprentices do not complete their programme, representing a substantial loss of talent at a time when the sector is facing persistent skills shortages.
2. It is also important to recognise that retention challenges do not end at the point of qualification. The construction sector experiences significant workforce attrition, particularly among early-career entrants. Some individuals leave the industry within the first few years due to perceptions of limited career progression, cyclical employment patterns, working conditions, or opportunities in other sectors. Consideration should therefore be given to retention across the entire workforce pipeline, from initial recruitment and training through to sustained employment and career development.
3. We believe there are several factors contributing to dropout rates:

1. Learners often enter training with a limited understanding of the realities of working in the construction industry. Careers education frequently focuses on attracting learners into construction but does not always provide a sufficiently realistic picture of site environments, working patterns, expectations, or progression opportunities. This can lead to learners disengaging when their experience differs from their expectations
2. There is an ongoing debate within the sector regarding the impact of apprenticeship standards and End-Point Assessment (EPA) requirements on completion. While employer-led standards have strengthened occupational relevance and helped ensure competence at the point of completion, some employers and providers report that the complexity, cost and administrative burden associated with EPA can create barriers to successful achievement. Delays in assessment, difficulties securing appropriate evidence, and challenges for smaller employers in navigating apprenticeship requirements can contribute to learners becoming disengaged towards the end of their programme. Any review of retention should therefore consider not only recruitment and employer support, but also whether apprenticeship delivery and assessment arrangements are proportionate, timely and accessible, particularly for SMEs.
3. The quality and consistency of employer engagement are critical. Where employers provide meaningful work experience, mentoring and structured support, completion rates tend to be stronger. However, many construction employers are small or micro businesses operating under significant commercial pressures. In addition, a significant proportion of the construction workforce operates on a self-employed basis or through short-term project arrangements. Employers and subcontractors may move frequently between sites and projects, making it more difficult to provide the continuity of supervision, mentoring and long-term employment opportunities that apprentices require. This can discourage some employers from recruiting apprentices and can create uncertainty for learners seeking stable pathways into the industry.
4. The nature of employment within parts of the construction sector can create instability. Project-based work, fluctuations in demand and periodic redundancies can interrupt training and reduce learner confidence in long-term career prospects. This is particularly challenging for apprentices whose employment is integral to their training programme.
5. Employers may lack the time, capacity or administrative resources needed to fully support apprentices and trainees, particularly when navigating apprenticeship requirements and wider employment regulations. Poorly coordinated delivery between employers and providers, limited employer support and insufficient time for training are among the most common factors associated with learner withdrawal.
6. The significantly higher dropout rates reported for women also suggest that workforce culture and representation remain important considerations. Construction remains heavily male-dominated, and women can experience a lack of visible role models, limited peer networks and workplace cultures that do not always feel inclusive. Improving retention therefore requires not only attracting more women into construction but ensuring they experience supportive and welcoming environments throughout training and employment. Our work across the Construction Technical Excellence Colleges (CTECs) includes a specific focus on workforce diversification, including increasing participation by women and underrepresented groups.

To reduce dropout rates, a number of actions could be taken:

4.               Strengthen careers education and employer engagement before learners enter training, ensuring that individuals have a clear understanding of the opportunities and realities of construction careers.
5.               Expand access to high-quality industry placements and work experience for classroom-based learners, helping individuals become more site-ready and increasing confidence from both learners and employers.
6.               Provide greater support for SMEs to engage with apprenticeships and training through simplified processes, reduced bureaucracy and enhanced advisory support.
7.               Review apprenticeship standards, assessment processes and employer support arrangements to ensure they remain accessible, proportionate and responsive to the needs of SMEs and project-based construction employers, while maintaining high occupational standards.
8.               Improve coordination between providers and employers to ensure training is well planned and integrated with workplace activity.
9.               Continue investment in teaching quality, learner support and provider improvement, ensuring learners receive a high-quality and relevant learning experience that supports progression into employment.
10.          Increase efforts to improve diversity and inclusion across the sector, including visible role models, mentoring and targeted retention initiatives for women and other underrepresented groups.

Please provide further information and clarification on the merits and challenges of streamlining construction qualifications.

11.          There is a strong case for streamlining construction qualifications, provided this is undertaken carefully and in close partnership with employers, FE providers and industry bodies.
12.          One of the recurring messages from employers is that the current qualifications landscape can be difficult to navigate. Multiple qualifications often cover similar occupational areas, while routes into employment vary considerably depending on region, employer preference and training provider. This complexity can create confusion for learners, employers and careers advisers, making progression pathways less transparent than they could be.
13.          The principal merit of streamlining qualifications is greater clarity. A simpler and more coherent qualifications system would help learners understand progression routes, enable employers to better recognise skills and competencies, and support providers in designing programmes that are more closely aligned to industry requirements. During our oral evidence, we noted concerns that some current qualifications are not always viewed by employers as fully aligned to industry need. Greater alignment could therefore improve employer confidence in training outcomes and strengthen recruitment into the sector.
14.          A streamlined approach could also support national workforce planning. Construction is increasingly expected to deliver major priorities including housing growth, new towns, decarbonisation, retrofit and modern methods of construction. A clearer qualifications framework would make it easier to respond to emerging skills demands and communicate workforce requirements consistently across the sector
15.          However, there are also important challenges.
16.          Construction is a highly diverse industry encompassing traditional trades, technical occupations, professional occupations and specialist emerging fields. While simplification is desirable, excessive standardisation risks removing flexibility and creating gaps where specific occupational needs are not adequately reflected. Any reform must therefore balance consistency with the industry's need for specialisation.
17.          There is also a risk of disruption during transition. Providers have invested significantly in curriculum design, staff development, facilities and employer partnerships aligned to existing qualifications. Any large-scale qualification reform requires a realistic implementation period, clear communication and sufficient funding to avoid disruption to learners and employers. From an FE perspective, delivering change is particularly challenging where funding arrangements remain short-term or fragmented.
18.          A simplified qualifications system may also support participation and progression among underrepresented groups by making routes into construction careers easier to understand and access.
19.          A further consideration is ensuring that qualifications remain responsive to local and regional labour market needs. In our oral evidence we highlighted the complexity created by differing funding and skills systems across devolved and non-devolved areas. A streamlined qualifications system should support national consistency while retaining enough flexibility for local adaptation where skills priorities differ.
20.          In summary, the benefits of streamlining construction qualifications include improved clarity, stronger employer confidence, better learner progression and greater alignment with workforce needs. However, successful reform will require close collaboration with industry, careful implementation, adequate funding and sufficient flexibility to reflect the diverse nature of the construction sector. Done well, qualification reform could play an important role in improving progression from training into employment and supporting the long-term delivery of the workforce needed for housing and infrastructure ambitions.
21.          To support successful qualification reform:
1. Engage employers, providers and professional bodies throughout development.
2. Provide sufficient transitional funding and implementation time.
3. Retain flexibility to meet local labour market needs.
4. Ensure qualifications support progression into apprenticeships, employment and higher-level study.

10 July 2026