Inquiry into the impact of Brexit on future skill needs

The All Party Parliamentary Group for Excellence in the Built Environment has carried out its fifth Inquiry, which looks at the impact of Brexit on future skills needs in the construction industry and the built environment professions.

The report is calling for:

• Government to stabilise the existing workforce by ensuring existing EU migrant workers are able to remain in the UK and then putting in place transitional arrangements for a period of time so that access to foreign workers does not fall off a cliff edge. There are 194,000 workers from the EU – equivalent to the numbers needed to build 16 Crossrails.
• Industry to get behind an overarching ambition to attract, train and retain a greater domestic workforce, with skills aligned to more modern ways of working.
• Industry to step up to the plate and become future proof, more productive and enterprising by harnessing digital technologies and offsite construction.

To help boost training and the skilling up of a domestic workforce the report is recommending:

• the formation of a single body to provide strategic oversight on training and skills at all levels and attracting new talent across the spectrum of the built environment, rather than just trades;
• merging the apprenticeship levy and the CITB into one and the money ring-fenced so it is spent within the built environment to attract and train new talent with the skills for today and the future.

FULL REPORT, written by Denise Chevin

The Commission Members:

The APPG for EBE Commission of this Inquiry comprised of members of both Houses of Parliament and senior members of the construction professions.

Lord Richard Best, Prof Peter Bonfield OBE, Tony Burton, Amanda Clack, Oliver Colvile, Jo Churchil MP, Mark Farmer, Harvey Francis, Helen Hayes MP, The Earl of Lytton, Rt Hon Maria Miller MP, Prof John Nolan and Lord Andrew Stunell.

The full list of written submissions, additional evidence and notes from the meetings can be found under Submission and Session tabs on the left hand side.

Submissions

• Arcadis
• Balfour Beatty
• Barratt
• Built Environment Skills in Schools
• Brexit Leadership Group
• Chartered Institution of Highways and Transportation
• Centre for the Study of the Production of the Built Environment (ProBE)
• Chartered Institute for Archaeologists and Federation of Archaeological Managers and Employers
• Chartered Institute of Building
• Construction IndustryTraining Board
• Crossrail
• Electrical Contractors' Association (ECA)
• Federation of Master Builders
• Federation of Piling Specialists
• Institution of Professional Engineers New Zealand
• Ground Forum
• Home Builders Federation
• Royal Institute of British Architects
• Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors

Sessions

First Session - 6 December 2016

Crossrail – Sir Terry Morgan, Chairman

Construction Industry Training Board - Steve Radley, CITB Director of Policy and Partnerships

Royal Institute of British Architects – Lucy Carmichael, Director of Practice

Second Session - 10 January 2017

CIOB - Chris Blythe OBE, Chief Executive and Eddie Tuttle, Associate Director, Policy, Research & Public Affairs

Arcadis - James Bryce, Director of Workforce Planning

Balfour Beatty - Matt Forbes, Group Head of Strategy

Third session - 24 January 2017

Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors - Gary Strong, Director of Practice and Standards.

Barratt Developments - David Thomas, Chief Executive

Institution of Professional Engineers New Zealand (IPENZ) – Jonathan Gammon, Chairman of UK Branch Committee

Fourth Session - 21 February 2017

Home Builders Federation - John Slaughter

Electrical Contractors Association - Steve Burley

Fifth Session - 6 March 2017

Centre for the Study of the Production of the Built Environment (ProBE), University of Westminster - Professor Linda Clarke

Federation of Master Builders - Brian Berry, Chief Executive

BWB Consultancy – Steve Wooler, Chief Executive

Federation of Piling Specialists - Alasdair Henderson, Chairman