Working in partnership with Industry, academia & local government to address the skills gap

Effective rehabilitation and sustainable employment for people upon their release from prison was a crucial theme when the parties met early in 2024 at HMP Peterborough. The consensus was clear, if rehabilitation is to succeed, time spent in prison must be used productively, with greater focus on training, education, and career development opportunities.

Although employment is one of the most effective ways to reduce reoffending, ironically,  a major factor contributing to reoffending is the difficulty former prisoners face in securing stable employment.  At the same time, the construction industry is grappling with a severe labour shortage, particularly in key trades such as bricklaying, ground working, electrical work, and plumbing and heating engineering.  

To resolve this issue, Constructed Pathways has begun exploring a partnership with HMP Peterborough to address both issues offering relevant, trade specific training and education, positioning prisoners for employment upon release. In collaboration with our consortium, we plan to provide bricklaying qualifications and CSCS cards for people seeking a fresh start in a sector that desperately needs skilled workers, whilst also building relationships with employers and the supply chain, ensuring that individuals who have earned the necessary skills will have every chance to secure employment after release.

On 13th May, a site visit to HMP Peterborough was conducted, during which several potential locations for the program launch were reviewed. Discussions also took place regarding the upskilling of staff to deliver training in partnership with our further education partners through the CP ConstructEd program. 

This initiative aims to eliminate one of the major barriers in prison education, ensuring access to qualified teachers and trainers when they are needed the most.

The skills shortage in the UK construction sector is a pressing challenge that requires coordinated efforts from the government, industry, and training providers to meet the increasing demand. Constructed Pathways is committed to driving this effort, uniting all relevant stakeholders to support both people and the industry.

Using the intelligence obtained through the Consortium and our own research, we became aware of the industry wide skills gap and the impact this is having on Construction projects across the nation. Exploring this further, we recognised that a major barrier to increasing the number of tradespeople entering the industry was the small number of trainers and assessors operating in further education, limiting the number of students’ providers could recruit. Equally as important was the financial disparity between tradespeople operating on-site and those delivering the training. 

Developing the Next Generation

As a result of this challenge, we engaged initially with Cambridge Regional College, Eastern Education Group and nationwide Independent Training Providers through the Consortium, to explore ways in which we could increase the volume of trainers and assessors, without negatively impacting an individual's financial circumstance. 

Circumnavigating Traditional Approaches

We don't believe that the answer to this problem is by doing things how they have always been done. Our approach, designed with our Consortium members will be to circumnavigate traditional provision and create something entirely new, collaboratively and innovatively. 

Accelerating and Scaling the Solution

To accelerate the program, we have approached the CITB requesting support using Industry levy funds (IIF) or a similar grant to accelerate and scale the adoption of this programme across the Country. Financial support would be used to incentivise employers to release their skilled and experienced operatives and enhance the marketing of this programme. In the process we would be creating a flexible pool of new tutors, mentors and assessors capable of operating across multiple sites within the region.