Tens of thousands of placements will be created for aspiring construction workers in a £96 million boost to train new talent and build more homes.

Funding is set to be allocated across the country on Friday (22nd) to provide hands-on learning and boost employability for learners who start their construction courses from this September. This is part of the £625m Construction Skills Package aiming to train up 60,000 skilled workers by 2029.

The construction industry is facing significant shortages, with the latest Office for National Statistics figures showing that there are over 35,000 job vacancies - over half of which are due to a lack of required skills.

It comes as the government hits a major milestone in helping to bring vocational education on par with academic. It has published a plan to support schools and colleges to transition from legacy qualifications at the same level, including BTECs, to a clearer system of V Levels, T Levels and A Levels from 2027 as options after GCSEs, along with two new qualifications for lower attaining students to support them to progress beyond GCSEs.

New subjects have been announced for the second year of delivery in 2028 that will help to address skills shortages and boost key industries such as housebuilding. These subjects include construction design, bricklaying and plumbing. The plan also includes detailed rollout timelines, and advice on content development to help providers transition.

Together, these plans are central to the Prime Minister’s ambition to ensure two thirds of young people are in a gold standard apprenticeship, higher training or university by the age of 25, boosting priority sectors including housebuilding, and driving economic growth as part of national renewal.

Skills Minister Jacqui Smith said: “We’re removing the snobbery from hands-on learning and putting it on par with academic to break down barriers for young people to get rewarding jobs.

“Our landmark vocational qualifications and placements will create a strong pipeline of workers by equipping young people with the real-world skills that employers need and that will fuel the jobs of the future.”

Anna Dawe OBE Principal and CEO, Wigan and Leigh College (the North West Construction Technical Excellence College), said:

“The North West Construction Technical Excellence College welcomes the government’s continued investment in technical education and industry placements to support the future construction workforce.

"Expanding high-quality placement opportunities alongside clearer technical pathways through Occupational Certificates, T Levels and future V Levels will help more young people access skilled careers while supporting employers to address critical workforce shortages.

“Across the North West, we are already seeing strong demand from colleges and employers to work collaboratively on practical, employer-informed solutions that strengthen progression into construction and engineering careers.”

Announced in the Post-16 Education and Skills White Paper, V Levels will sit alongside A-levels and T-levels. Equivalent to one A Level, they will allow students to mix and match academic and vocational subjects if they do not yet know where they want to specialise.

For 16-year-olds who are not ready to progress beyond GCSEs due to lower attainment, there are two new qualifications:

Occupational Certificates: two-year courses for those who want to get into work or an apprenticeship but need support to achieve English and Maths GCSEs.

Foundation Certificates: one-year courses for students who want to progress to A-levels, T-levels or V-levels but need extra support to pass their GCSEs.

New subjects available from 2028 include:

V Levels in construction design, engineering design and engineering manufacturing.

Two new T Levels in sport and social care - part of the largest expansion for students who want to specialise in sector-facing studies since the qualifications began.

Occupation Certificates in bricklaying, painting, plumbing, accounts and finance, and adult care worker.

Foundation Certificates in engineering, health, legal services, and social care.

A new sector-led group, ‘Qualification Practitioners’, has been created to lead the way for the sector, shaping and sharing best practice as providers transition to the new qualifications. Providers will be required to have robust transition plans to support staff, students, and employers through the change.

In the North West, they are:

East Lancashire Learning Group
Cheshire College South and West
Altus Education Partnership

New guidance has also been published removing the red tape around T Level industry placements. This includes scrapping the limits on the percentage of remote hours a student can do or how many employers they work with. This helps more young people to access premium placements and empowers businesses to offer placements that work for everyone.

Principal and CEO of East Lancashire Learning Group Lisa O’Loughlin said: “I have worked in education long enough to know that opportunities like this do not come around often. These Post 16 qualification reforms are one of the greatest steps forward our sector has seen in decades, and I am incredibly proud that we are helping to lead the way as a Pioneer college.

Being a Pioneer means more than simply delivering change first. It means shaping the future of education, influencing what works best for learners, and ensuring young people and adults have access to qualifications that genuinely prepare them for modern careers, higher education and life beyond the classroom.

I believe these reforms will be transformational. They will create clearer pathways, stronger links with employers and a far more responsive education system that reflects the needs of our economy and communities. Most importantly, they will give learners the confidence, skills and opportunities they deserve to succeed.

My message to other colleges is simple embrace this change. Be ambitious for your learners, work collaboratively across the sector and help shape a Post 16 system that is fit for the future.”

Jasbir Dhesi OBE, Principal and CEO of Cheshire College, said: “We welcome the Post-16 Pathways Implementation Plan as a significant step forward for learners and employers across our region.

“The emphasis on strong employer engagement is particularly important in ensuring that qualifications reflect local and national labour market needs and support economic growth.

“As a qualification pioneer, we are committed to working collaboratively with partners to deliver high-quality pathways that create real opportunities for our communities.”

Principal at Rochdale Sixth Form College Karl Smith and CEO of Altus Education Partnership Richard Ronksley jointly said: "We are delighted that Altus Education Partnership has been chosen as a Qualification Pioneer. With its Outstanding Rochdale Sixth Form College (the highest-performing college sixth form college in the country for student progress), Altus brings significant experience of high-quality post-16 education to this work.

“We welcome the opportunity to work with the Department for Education and colleagues across the sector as these important reforms are implemented.”