Helping local young people build their future

So many of our iconic local buildings were once plans that needed skilled workers to design and build them. I am proud of that history - of generations of workers and tradesmen building their communities.

But looking around us, you can see that the UK faces a crisis - in infrastructure, in public services, and in economic growth. Classrooms are crumbling, potholes have gone unfilled, and young families are unable to buy a house in the area they grew up in.

After 14 years of decline, the Labour Government is committed to turning this around. But our country won't rebuild itself, it will need bricklayers, electricians, plumbers, and carpenters, as well as designers and engineers.

Yet in Yorkshire, and the rest of the UK, the construction sector has been sounding the alarm over skills shortages for years, with around 320,000 workers lost between 2019 and 2024, to deaf ears. Yorkshire and the Humber have a proud track record of construction jobs, with over 180,000 people working in the sector, but to get our area’s future back, we need more skilled-workers, not fewer.

As anyone in our area knows, that shortage of skills is not due to a lack of aspiration or talent from local young people. The young people I speak to are ambitious for themselves and their community, and want to work hard to build their careers. But the current system denies them the opportunities that their talent and drive deserve.

That’s why I am so supportive of the Labour Government’s pledge to train up 60,000 more construction workers, to give local young people the chance to rebuild their country and their community.

To achieve this, I am pleased that the Government is investing £100 million to fund 10 new Technical Excellent Colleges, providing specialist facilities and training in construction, while allocating £98m of funding to support Further Education providers in offering industry placements. I will work hard to ensure the full benefits of this provision are felt by young people and businesses in our area.

This will come alongside £165m of new funding for further education construction course providers to put on more courses and pay teachers more, as well as £100m of new funding for expanded skills bootcamps to increase the number of skilled construction workers. Targeted support will also be delivered to enable experienced construction workers to partner with education providers to share their vital expertise.

Government is also working in partnership with employers, providing incentives to take on young people on newly created construction foundation apprenticeships, and investing in SMEs who want to take on apprenticeships.

Together, these policies will unleash the wealth of talent currently being wasted in our community. Local young people deserve a role in their future. By breaking down these barriers, the Government can help young people learn the trades they can build a life with.

I believe in young people, across our community and our country, and am glad the new Government does too. Together, we can rebuild our area’s future.