A quarter of Londoners have no idea that an apprenticeship can provide a route into construction after GCSEs, and a Federation of Master Builders (FMB) scheme designed to close that gap has now been nominated for a Black Professionals in Construction (BPIC) Network Award.
FMB research highlights the scale of the challenge the scheme was created to address. Awareness of construction apprenticeships in the capital is the lowest anywhere in the UK, with a quarter of Londoners unaware that an apprenticeship offers a route into the industry.
Build Academy gives young people a direct pathway into construction apprenticeships and employment with small building companies, a part of the sector that can often struggle to recruit and retain new talent.
When asked what could change their perception of construction as a career, 32% of Londoners said meeting successful tradespeople. Through Build Academy, learners do exactly that, working alongside experienced professionals through placements, employer masterclasses and site-based learning, giving them access to valuable industry role models.
The Academy is also helping construction better reflect the communities it serves. Half of Build Academy learners come from an ethnic minority background, compared with a construction industry average of 6%, according to analysis by CITB.
Tom Peardon, London Director at the Federation of Master Builders, said:
“Apprenticeships are a fantastic option, but more needs to be done to make young people aware of the opportunities available to them. Build Academy has spent a year proving that this approach works, and this nomination belongs as much to our members who opened their sites as it does to the learners who backed a pilot before anyone knew what it could become.
“We are incredibly proud to be helping young people from diverse backgrounds access careers in construction and change their lives. It is an honour for that work to be recognised through a BPIC Award nomination.”
Geoff Osborne, Principal of Shooters Hill Sixth Form College, said:
“A year ago these were students joining a pilot that nobody could guarantee would work. Today they are apprentices, earning and working with firms that want to keep them.
“That happened because FMB members gave up their time to shape what we taught and opened their sites to our learners. Colleges cannot do this on their own, this is what it looks like when education and industry work together with a shared purpose.”
Sunny Bamra, Programme Director at Build Academy, said:
“Too many young people simply don’t see the industry as an option, particularly if they have no family connection to construction or have never had the opportunity to meet someone working in the sector. Build Academy changes that by putting employers at the heart of the learner experience.
“Our learners are not just learning about construction in a classroom, they are working alongside tradespeople, experiencing real sites and meeting employers who can see their potential. That relationship is what turns interest into aspiration, and aspiration into an apprenticeship or a job.
“The learners took a chance on something new, our employer partners backed them, and together we have shown what can happen when education and industry genuinely work as one. To see that recognised by BPIC is an incredibly proud moment for everyone involved in Build Academy.”