This 110 page report was published on 12 January 2022, the summary includes:

Skills shortages
Skills shortages in the construction, design and planning sectors must be addressed to unlock the required development.  This will include broadening the base of talent, upskilling and reskilling, including for the green skills needed to address climate change.  The number of apprenticeships starts has fallen by over 25% since the introduction of the apprenticeship levy.  We call for reform of the levy.

The recommendations from this report for skills and skills shortages are:

  1. Official figures for the construction industry should include those employed in factories related to construction. This would more accurately reflect productivity levels in the industry, particularly as the sector moves towards modern methods of construction. (Paragraph 186).
  2. The Construction Industry Training Board has not addressed construction skills shortages in an effective manner over many years. Reform is needed to address this issue.  The Government should consider how the Construction Industry Training Board can upgrade its training offer for construction professionals.  Failure to recruit and train the skills required to build new homes should cause the Government to consider potential alternative models for a national construction careers body. (Paragraph 193).
  3. Diversity remains a major issue in construction trades, with only 4% of trades roles held by women. It will be essential to draw on a wider talent base to meet the demand for skills. (Paragraph 202).
  4. The Government should enable local planning departments to have access to flexible resources, where skills from the private sector and other specialist areas are brought on for specific large sites. (Paragraph 209).
  5. Apprenticeships are vital to many built environment sectors and help develop talent for the future. The number of apprenticeships has fallen consistently since the Apprenticeship Levy’s introduction.  We urge the Government to review the Apprenticeship Levy. (Paragraph 218).
  6. Introduction through technical qualifications at the age of 16 is too late to capture young peoples’ interest in the built environment. The Government should ensure wider and earlier engagement with built environment sectors across the curriculum, by introducing modules before and at GCSE level. (Paragraph 222).

The of the report conclusions are:

  1. Evidence to our inquiry has shown how vital it is that that new homes are built to help meet housing demand. Building more homes will not address affordability pressures in the short term but is an essential first step to ensure that demand can be met in the long term.  We heard that meeting future housing demand will require more homes of all kinds. (Paragraph 263).
  2. To meet that challenge, the sector needs certainty and a clear direction from the Government about reforms to the planning system and more resources to address chronic delays. It is also very important to address skills shortages in the construction and planning sectors and to allocate additional land for homes.  Only if all the challenges we have identified are addressed will it be possible to boost housing supply and affordability and meet the Government’s targets in the years ahead. (Paragraph 264).

For the full report please see: https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld5802/ldselect/ldbuiltenv/132/132.pdf

FIS Skills and Training Lead George Swann said: “This is a comprehensive report, the committee chaired by Baroness Neville-Rolfe, launched the inquiry into housing demand in the UK and how barriers to meeting this demand can be overcome initially calling for evidence in September 2021.  FIS members working in house building and particularly those in plastering will no doubt welcome this focus, FIS will monitor this and report as and when more information becomes available”.