This week is National Apprenticeship Week, a time to acknowledge that apprenticeships have long been a cornerstone of the construction industry. They remain one of the few routes into a lifelong career that combine structured learning with real-world experience, ensuring the newest industry professionals are safe, skilled, and site-ready. But proposed government reforms are putting them at risk.
In a sector built on precision and craftsmanship, this is vital. According to The Big Apprentice Survey 2024, nearly three-quarters (74%) of apprentices say the most valuable part of their apprenticeship is gaining experience alongside a qualification, while almost half (46%) say the most valuable part of their apprenticeship was getting hands-on experience.
Apprentices learn their trade in a variety of environments, such as workshops and on sites, building their skills and knowledge alongside the professional behaviours which are essential to developing the competence of the individual in their chosen construction sector occupation. Construction relies on having suitably trained individuals who can demonstrate they are occupationally competent to meet the requirements set out in the Building Safety Act.
Additionally, apprenticeships embed a culture of health and safety from day one. Given the increasing regulatory scrutiny on competence across the built environment, this is an area where industry and the government should be working together.
Yet the government’s proposed apprenticeship reforms are in direct contrast to requirements set out in regulation, and spell disaster for the construction industry.
The government is continuing to forge ahead with its ambitious reform timelines, leaving no opportunity for meaningful consultation with employers, causing much anxiety and worry.
The reforms are proposing several changes, however the most contentious part is the introduction of “sampling” within a competence-based assessment, the removal of tolerances in the assessment plan, reducing the mandatory elements, and the move to allow end point assessment organisations to develop their own end point assessment process. All combined, this will lead to the dumbing down of skills in the apprenticeship, and an inconsistent approach to assessment across various organisations. Sadly, it promotes a race to the bottom as it encourages the rushing of learners through the assessment to enable the draw down of funding. This all significantly reduces what apprentices are required to demonstrate before being deemed competent, especially in a safety critical occupation.
In trades such as carpentry and joinery, apprentices currently have to evidence that they have met the required standard against 70 skills and knowledge criteria before reaching their end-point assessment. Under the proposed reforms, this requirement would be cut by 60%-70% making it impossible for someone to be deemed competent in their occupation, which is a deep concern when someone is working with life safety products such as fire doors.
This directly conflicts with the direction of travel set by the Building Safety Act and the industry-led work the BWF is a part of to define clear competence frameworks through the Super Sector Programme, which is overseen by Sector Lead Group 10 of the Industry Competence Steering Group (ICSG).
It also puts at risk the wider skills and assurance systems that construction relies on. Apprenticeships are a recognised route to competence within Construction Skills Certification Scheme (CSCS) frameworks, which are required by the Construction Leadership Council and underpin access to sites across the UK. If apprenticeships are diluted and no longer guarantee competence and safety, that recognition is put at risk.
If the changes are pushed through, the removal of apprenticeships as a trusted route into CSCS would undermine employer confidence, disrupt workforce planning, and put more pressure on an industry already facing a severe skills shortage and an ageing workforce.
Apprenticeships were shaped by industry, for industry, to reflect how skills are developed on-site and in workshops. It is deeply concerning that the current proposals run counter to industry advice and the broader direction of best practice around competency.
Worryingly, the impact is already being felt. Many employers are pausing or delaying recruitment because they no longer trust the direction of travel. British Woodworking Federation (BWF) members have told us that they are holding back from taking on apprentices this year due to a lack of confidence in the reformed system.
For apprentices already in training, the risk is equally serious. Diluting apprenticeships risks devaluing the qualification itself, and with it the confidence and pride that come from knowing you are fully competent in your trade.
This is why the BWF spearheaded the Construction Coalition – now supported by more than 30 organisations across the construction and built environment sectors – to challenge the damaging reforms.
By working collectively, the Construction Coalition has already secured a pause on changes to all construction-related apprenticeships, including carpentry and joinery. In addition, the formation of Skills England’s Construction Taskforce Group is in direct response to the letter we sent to the government in October 2025.
While the BWF and the Construction Coalition welcome the opportunity to work with Skills England over the coming months, we must be realistic. As yet, there is no tangible evidence that we are any closer to finding a resolution that will satisfy the concerns raised by the Construction Coalition or provide employers with confidence that the apprenticeship standard hasn’t been ruined for the future.
At a time when the government wants to deliver 1.5 million homes, improve building safety and raise construction quality, this is not the moment to reduce expectations. We cannot improve the safety and quality of UK buildings while lowering the expectations of competence for those who are expected to design, build and maintain them.
If the reforms proceed in their current form, the industry will be forced to ask “Do we continue to invest in apprenticeships, or do we step away from a system we no longer trust?” That is not a choice any of us should have to make.
The government claims to have listened, but it is time to demonstrate it and engage meaningfully with employers and sector experts. Employers have lost confidence and feel like they are being kept in the dark by the government.
We must work in partnership and across different governmental departments to ensure apprenticeships are safeguarded and that the competence, safety and quality of an individual is not lost.
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