LIVERPOOL Mayor Steve Rotheram joined the Deputy Prime Minister and chief executives across the construction industry on a new national board aimed at recruiting an extra 100,000 builders every year.

The Construction Skills Mission Board met for 1st time today (Thursday) – a key part of the government’s plan to build 1.5 million homes a year.

The Mayor, who began his career as an apprentice bricklayer, will use his extensive experience in the industry to represent Mayors across the country and help to deliver a new strategy to create 40,000 new industry placements, thousands of new apprenticeships and 10 new colleges of ‘Construction Technical Excellence’.

Steve Rotheram, Mayor of the Liverpool City Region, said:- “The calluses I once had on my hands from years on building sites may have long since disappeared but what has stuck with me was the education I had on site. It taught me the value of hard graft, teamwork, and building something to be proud of. Those lessons have never left me, and they’re part of what drives me in politics today. I’m proud to be joining the Construction Skills Mission Board as the UK Mayors representative. Construction is central to our ambitions to grow the economy, tackle the housing crisis, deliver much needed infrastructure like schools, hospitals and rail stations to support that growth – and, importantly, give people the practical skills they need for a better future. But it’s also vital to solving the growing skills shortages that threaten to hold back progress. We need to inspire a new generation, especially those from underrepresented groups, to see construction not just as a job, but as a career – 1 that’s well-paid, rewarding, and helps to build the communities we all want to see.”

Thousands of people are set to benefit from on-the-job training and career opportunities in the construction sector thanks to a new partnership between Jobcentres and the industry.

An agreement was signed this week between the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) and the Department for Work and Pensions to give more people the skills they need through work experience and tailored placements.

More than 40,000 industry placements will be funded through a further £100m from the government, alongside a £32m contribution from the CITB.

From August, new construction foundation apprenticeships, backed by an additional £40m, will provide a route into construction.

The scheme comes as part of the government’s Youth Guarantee to ensure every young person is either earning or learning, launched by Mayor Rotheram and Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall at a jobs fair at Anfield last month.

Alongside Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner at today’s first Construction Skills Mission Board were the Board's chair, Mark Reynolds, Co-Chair of the Construction Leadership Council, Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall, Skills Minister Baroness Jacqui Smith, Minister for Industry Sarah Jones, and several CEOs and sector leaders.

The board meeting saw the launch of an industry commitment to recruit 100,000 more construction workers per year by the end of the Parliament.

The government’s Plan for Change commitment to build 1.5 million new homes is underpinned by £39bn for affordable and social housing over 10 years announced at in the recent Spending Review.

Deputy Prime Minister and Housing Secretary Angela Rayner said:- "Building 1.5 million homes takes investment, skills, and a government that’s ready to roll up its sleeves to deliver. And that is exactly what we are doing. Our Plan for Change commits to delivering the biggest boost for affordable and social housing in a generation, which we’ve backed with a £39bn investment over 10 years. We’re working hand-in-hand with industry to recruit thousands more workers into skilled construction jobs, and thanks to our Make Work Pay reforms we will ensure these jobs are more secure and better rewarded.”