Alice Jackson of Hoare Lea reflects on our apprenticeship workshop as we shared experiences and knowledge on apprenticeships across the built environment.

The built environment industry is facing a major skills shortage, with the Construction Industry Training Board estimating an additional 225,000 workers may be required across the UK by 2027. Apprenticeships play a crucial role in developing a skilled workforce and addressing the industry's evolving needs, but are we doing enough to encourage and support them?

 

NLA brought together individuals from across the built environment to discuss exactly this: the role of apprenticeships in the next generation of talent, how schemes can be shaped for successful delivery, and how the industry can better support this. The event encouraged cross-disciplinary thinking, with workshop facilitators from Mace, Ryder Architecture, Will Sandy Design Studio, Hoare Lea, Avison Young, and Gensler, creating a collaborative environment which allowed us to both celebrate our successes and identify common challenges.

 

We heard from Kate Pinder, Head of Emerging Talent at Mace, and Dr Izzy Williams, Senior Learning & Development Lead at Ryder Architecture. At Mace, where emerging talent (comprising graduates and apprentices) accounts for 7% of the workforce, the commitment and support of line managers has been crucial to the successful delivery of apprenticeships, with Mace ranking in the Top 100 Apprentice Employers. Both Kate and Izzy emphasised the importance of hiring based on potential over academic attainment in reaching a diverse pool of applicants. Ryder’s Plan BEE (Plan for the Built Environment Education) now has 60 sponsors, addressing the need for collaborative learning (with apprentices rotating around 6 companies in the 2 year programme) and a focus on the skills needed both now and into the future to meet the industry needs. The value of the programme is evident with 99% of PlanBEE graduates having progressed on to successful careers with sponsor employers and/or higher education pathways.

 

The consensus in the room was unsurprisingly decided on the pivotal role of apprenticeships in addressing the skills gap and nurturing the next generation of talent in the built environment. Many also identified the potential for apprenticeships to provide pathways for career re-entry and for upskilling of our existing workforce to meet the evolving demands arising from a drive towards a more sustainable future.

 

If there was one common theme arising from this question it would be this: the value of structure. The workshop presented a unique opportunity for apprentices across various sectors within the built environment to share their experiences with individuals, like Kate and Izzy, shaping apprenticeship programmes. Both agreed that apprenticeship schemes thrive when a well-balanced structure is established, one which extends from workplace to educational institution. This works best when built upon an organisational commitment to invest in both the apprentices and the line managers and mentors supporting them. We recognised our collective responsibility to showcase success stories, enhancing visibility and reinforcing the value of the apprenticeship route into a career in the built environment.

 

It was clear from the atmosphere of the room that the appetite is there for the industry to expand its apprenticeship offering, with several individuals representing companies looking to start their own scheme. The main barrier to achieving this, however, seems to be the bureaucratic hurdles, and in particular the unpredictability of resources needed. Concerns were raised as to how changes to our working and learning environments, with remote work and online studying widely prevalent, impact the sense of community and social engagement within a cohort. 

 

In terms of who should be running and managing these programmes, the coordination between companies and educational providers is crucial, and a dual respect for the demands of both sectors is essential to bridge the gap effectively. As apprentices, you are expected to balance educational commitments and project deadlines, with current apprentices commenting on how support is not always consistent as they work through the later years of the scheme.

 

The workshop concluded with a resounding call for continued collaboration across the industry to refine and enhance our apprenticeship offerings. Many of the challenges identified offering opportunities, whether that be through providing a space for apprentices to connect, encouraging transparency in reporting, or making the recruitment process more visible and accessible. One of the key takeaways was how important it is that we as an industry shift away from viewing apprentices as a “Plan B” route, instead celebrating the role apprenticeships serve in providing an alternative path into the industry.