Colleges across West Yorkshire could receive a share of more than £6.7 million in funding aimed at tackling a growing shortage of skilled construction workers across the region.
Members of the West Yorkshire Combined Authority’s Investment Board will next week consider proposals to approve £6.73 million for a major construction skills programme designed to help address workforce shortages and prepare more people for careers in the sector.
The funding would be allocated to Leeds College of Building, which serves as the region’s Construction Technical Excellence College (CTEC), before being distributed among partner institutions including Bradford College, Keighley College, Kirklees College, Calderdale College and Heart of Yorkshire Education Group.
According to a report prepared for the board, the construction industry is facing significant challenges due to an ageing workforce, increasing demand for skilled labour and a growing skills gap. The report states that vacancy rates across the sector remain high and points to a national shortage of around 60,000 construction workers.
It also warns that further education colleges currently lack the capacity to meet rising demand for construction training. Analysis carried out by the Combined Authority and local colleges found that around £50 million of investment will be needed over the next decade to provide sufficient construction focused teaching space across West Yorkshire.
The report says colleges are already experiencing shortages of workshop capacity, leading to waiting lists for prospective learners and limiting opportunities to train the workforce required by the industry.
The funding would be used to create modernised training facilities, upgrade equipment and provide industry standard learning environments to better prepare students for employment. Emerging industries such as heat pump installation, retrofit work and low carbon technologies are expected to be among the areas prioritised through the programme.
The report states that improved facilities will allow learners to train using the technologies and methods increasingly demanded by employers while supporting regional housing and infrastructure ambitions.
If approved, the programme will run until 2030.
The proposal was due to be considered by the West Yorkshire Combined Authority Investment Board on Thursday.
