Nicola John, Managing Director of FDM – Training & Development, explores the key facets companies must consider in addressing the skills gap in construction and maintenance, focusing on the importance of responsible training and recruitment practices.

Last year, the Construction Industry Training Board forecast that 252,000 extra construction workers will be required by 2028 to meet industry demand. This offers great opportunities, but also plenty of risk: companies can’ t afford to cut corners with their training in an effort to recruit the people they need. After all, the skills gap has plagued the construction and maintenance industry for far too long.

The Grenfell tragedy illuminated the risks of siloed working practices and incomplete fire safety knowledge. The Hackitt Report further underlined the widespread lack of competency, recommending a move towards the“ golden thread” principle of digitised product information. Although promising steps are being taken, raising safety standards nationally remains a big issue for the industry to tackle.

But macroeconomic challenges, including the cost-of-living crisis and hike in National Insurance contributions, are making it much harder for businesses to plan for expansion. Unfortunately, this may also exacerbate

the skills gap – particularly if training and recruitment are sidelined. This is not a risk businesses can afford to take.

Skilled and safe

Firms have a duty to ensure their workforce is skilled and safety conscious. The best way to accomplish this? A long-term commitment to training opportunities boosting competency and promoting continued development. Training is not a tick-box exercise: it verifies that your employees are working safely and complying with legislative requirements.

This is why the importance of hands-on learning cannot be overstated. While online-only training is beneficial for distance learning and refreshing theoretical knowledge, it is not as well-suited to teaching practical people how to do practical work. It’ s much more difficult for people to grasp the processes, complexity, and time needed to complete physical tasks – like installing and maintaining fire doors – without actually undertaking these actions themselves. By prioritising physical training with plenty of guided learning hours( or complementing online education with in-person elements), trainees can apply their knowledge of safe working practices more readily to real-world settings.

Holistic training is also vital in raising industry safety standards. Without teaching construction and maintenance professionals about the trades preceding and following their own, the siloed practices dragging the industry down are likely to remain. Training that educates about all stages of the building lifecycle stitches a golden thread of best practice across the industry, as it prompts tradespeople to work with others’ processes in mind. This allows more consideration of safety requirements across the supply chain, raising safety standards holistically.

But this education can’ t be a one-off. The nature of the industry necessitates regular training, as legislation on safety standards is constantly changing. Businesses are responsible for keeping their teams updated on changes to legal requirements, so they can strategise on how to exceed standards and make the industry safer for everyone.

Ensuring workforce sustainability through recruitment

By embedding comprehensive training measures into your workplace culture, you won’ t just be upskilling your current workforce: you’ ll also attract new talent. The BBC’ s 2025 Bitesize Careers survey found that, for almost a third of the more than 4,000 teenagers surveyed,“ opportunities for training and development” would make a workplace most appealing. A quarter of respondents wanted to undertake an apprenticeship, while a job in construction was one of the top ten most-desired careers. The appetite is there: we just need to harness it.

With the recent focus on paths into vocational careers – including the introduction of T Levels, and the rise of AI highlighting the importance of jobs that can only be done by humans – there has never been a better time to engage the next generation. Offering apprenticeships for under-25s closes the skills gap by training people on the job, and it reduces companies’ National Insurance contributions. It’ s a win-win.

Businesses should also be establishing relationships with schools and colleges offering vocational courses, such as the newly announced Construction Technical Excellence Colleges, to establish a longterm pipeline of potential new recruits. By engaging young, enthusiastic professionals, we can ensure the sustainability of an industry that is skilled and working safely.

Looking forward

Businesses must demonstrate their steadfast commitment to responsible training and recruitment practices to address the skills gap. It’ s no longer enough to simply say the right things: you must lead the way with tangible actions to upskill your workforce.

By ensuring your employees’ competency in fire safety and beyond, you can provide the groundwork for the next generation of construction and maintenance professionals to flourish. The result? Safer working practices, construction sites, and built environments for us all.

www. fdmltd. co. uk