FIS welcomes Construction Jobs Plan but asks for placements to be judged on jobs

The Finishes and Interiors Sector (FIS) has welcomed the government's Construction Jobs Plan, published on 19 October, while warning that its 40,000 placements a year must be judged on how many lead to real jobs.

The plan, published on GOV.UK by the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, sets out what the government describes as a national framework for addressing the construction sector's workforce and skills challenges. FIS and the Construction Leadership Council (CLC) said it is backed by a £625m Construction Skills Package.

FIS sits on the Operations Group of the Construction Skills Mission Board (CSMB), where it said it represents specialist contractors, manufacturers and suppliers. The CSMB's ambition, according to the CLC, is for industry to create 100,000 job opportunities a year by the end of this Parliament.

Beena Nana, Head of Skills and Training at FIS, said: "For our sector, the test is whether this support reaches the specialist trades – drylining, plastering, ceilings and partitions, carpenters and joiners – where shortages bite hardest."

FIS said its Skills Manifesto calls for the 40,000 placements to be measured by how many lead to jobs, and for the finishing trades to be in the first wave of competence frameworks built into funded qualifications. Nana said placements and apprenticeships "must lead to recognised competence, not just headline numbers".

What the package funds

According to the CLC, the package pays for 40,000 industry placements a year for eligible Level 2 and Level 3 construction learners aged 16 and over, up to 10,000 new construction-focused Foundation Apprenticeships, and 35,000 additional construction-focused Skills Bootcamp places.

The government said the plan will also create a Construction Apprenticeship Network to boost apprentice recruitment and participation by smaller firms. It said the 40,000 annual placements form part of a previously announced industry ambition to create 100,000 construction job opportunities a year.

The CLC said industry has agreed ten commitments to tackle the sector's workforce and skills challenges, including exploring how artificial intelligence and industrialised construction can improve productivity. It said the plan is intended to build the workforce needed to deliver 1.5 million homes and £725bn of infrastructure over 10 years.

Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds said: "Reindustrialising Britain means giving workers the skills they need to get good jobs in growing industries." The construction plan was published alongside an Industrial Strategy Jobs Plan for Professional and Business Services.

What it means for employers

FIS set out several measures its members can use now. From October 2026, it said, non-levy employers receive £2,000 for taking on a 16 to 24-year-old apprentice as a new employee, including foundation apprentices. Apprenticeship training is fully funded for eligible apprentices under 25, for all employers, from August 2026.

A Level 2 finishing trades Foundation Apprenticeship route carries up to £2,000 extra for employers on top of the hiring payment, FIS said. An Industry Placement Playbook, due this autumn, will guide employers hosting three-week placements for Level 2 and 3 learners.

FIS runs Skills Bootcamps with The Skills Centre to produce job-ready drylining and interior fit-out recruits. It also pointed members to CITB's New Entrant Support Team, which CITB said provides free hands-on support to help SMEs and micro businesses recruit apprentices and new entrants. CITB's apprenticeship grants include a £2,500 a year attendance grant and a £3,500 achievement grant on completion.

Background

The plan draws together funding announced over the past 18 months. In March 2025 HM Treasury said the Chancellor had announced £600m to train up to 60,000 more skilled construction workers, with the CSMB co-chaired by government and Mark Reynolds, Executive Chair of Mace.

In June 2025 the government said more than 40,000 industry placements would be funded through a further £100m from government alongside £32m from CITB, and that construction foundation apprenticeships, backed by an additional £40m, would start from August 2025.

FIS said it will share guidance over the coming weeks on how members can make the most of the schemes.