The Mayor of the West Midlands has unveiled a major new strategy to turn the region’s construction boom into a springboard for 12,000 young people seeking careers in the sector.
The Building Growth Action Plan, launched today alongside key industry partners including the Construction Industry Training Board, aims to bridge the region’s construction skills gap by expanding training, improving access to work experience, and strengthening employer partnerships.
The announcement comes as the latest Deloitte Birmingham Crane Survey 2026 shows the region is experiencing its strongest construction growth in five years, with 23 new starts in 2025 – more than double the previous year.
The West Midlands’ rapid growth is being fuelled by:
- The need to build 12,200 new homes each year to address the housing crisis
- A £2.4 billion investment in transport, improving connections to jobs and opportunities
- A £160 million retrofit programme helping residents cut energy bills and improve energy efficiency
- Flagship regeneration schemes such as the East Birmingham Sports Quarter
Taken together, these projects are creating a once‑in‑a‑generation wave of demand for skilled construction workers. According to CITB, the region will need 12,000 new construction workers over the next three years.
The Mayor’s new action plan sets out a bold approach to ensuring local people benefit from this surge in development. The strategy will:
- Create more training placements across the sector
- Strengthen the transition from full‑time study into employment through high‑quality industry placements
- Work with employers to build a sustainable pipeline of emerging talent
- Support upskilling of the existing workforce to meet modern construction needs
This comes on top of the Mayor’s recent announcement of £75 million in additional funding for construction training, alongside ambitions to unlock further private sector investment.
Key partners and businesses from across the construction sector will lead delivery of the action plan, building on existing regional strengths, including the newly opened Construction Technical Excellence College led by Dudley College.
The plan will also bolster successful West Midlands Combined Authority schemes such as Path 2 Apprenticeship and Construction Gateway.
These initiatives are designed to help local people access training, employment and career progression in construction, and support the Mayor’s broader Growth Plan for the region.
The plan was formally launched at a Morro‑delivered affordable housing development in Sandwell, built on behalf of Green Square Accord Housing, a project that already employs several apprentices and young workers.
West Midlands Mayor Richard Parker commented:
"While the future feels uncertain for many, construction offers a well-paid, stable career for life. Whether you’re working with bricks and mortar or in engineering and design, there are huge opportunities.
“We are now seeing a construction boom across our region and I am determined to make sure local people are at the front of the queue to secure the vital jobs this is creating – jobs that are quite literally building the West Midlands and building Britain.
“My Building Growth Action Plan will bring together investment and partners to deliver the skilled pipeline of talent that the industry needs, powering new jobs, building new homes and creating new opportunities to drive investment, growth and prosperity across our region.”
During the visit, the Mayor met young people training on site, many of whom shared their ambitions to build long‑term careers in construction and contribute to the region’s regeneration.
With construction demand rising sharply and major investment programmes gathering pace, the Building Growth Action Plan aims not only to meet industry needs, but to ensure the next generation shares in the region’s economic renewal.
Image credit: iStock
