FMB's Build Academy shortlisted for BPIC Network innovation award

The Federation of Master Builders' (FMB) Build Academy, a Wanstead-based pilot that places 16 to 19-year-olds with small building firms in London, has been shortlisted for Best Innovation at the Black Professionals in Construction (BPIC) Network Awards.

The FMB said the scheme gives young people a direct route into construction apprenticeships and jobs with small building companies, a part of the industry it said often struggles to recruit and retain new entrants. The winner will be announced at the ceremony on 4 December.

The nomination follows FMB research that found a quarter of Londoners do not know an apprenticeship offers a way into construction, the lowest awareness anywhere in the UK, according to the federation.

Tom Peardon, London Director at the Federation of Master Builders, said: "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."

The scheme

The FMB's London Board launched Build Academy with Geoff Osborne, Principal of Shooters Hill Sixth Form College, and the federation said it was developed with significant funding from the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB).

The FMB announced the pilot on 14 May 2025 as a 12-month programme designed to make learners site-ready from day one. At launch, it said learners would receive a weekly bursary, be placed with local building firms and get on-site mentoring from experienced tradespeople.

According to CITB, the academy works with 20 students at a time, all aged 16 to 19 and new to construction, and tops up numbers as learners move into work through its network of employers. CITB said the aim was to place learners in full-time employment with small and medium-sized firms by June 2026.

CITB describes the pilot as a response to skills shortages in the repair, maintenance and improvement (RMI) sector, including green skills and retrofit. The FMB said the curriculum covered bricklaying, tiling, plastering, painting and decorating, and carpentry, and that its members helped shape what was taught.

Learners work alongside experienced professionals through placements, employer masterclasses and site-based learning, the FMB said. A graduation ceremony for the programme has since been held at Shooters Hill Sixth Form College.

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."

Diversity and the judging criteria

The FMB said half of Build Academy learners come from an ethnic minority background, against a construction industry average of 6% according to CITB analysis.

Measure	Share
Build Academy learners from ethnic minority background	50%
Construction industry average (CITB analysis)	6%

BPIC says its Best Innovation award recognises pioneering initiatives in the built environment that address challenges or advance the industry. Its published criteria say judges give recognition to initiatives that foster collaboration between diverse stakeholders and show a commitment to inclusivity, and weigh potential future impact, including scalability and adaptability.

Sunny Bamra, Programme Director at Build Academy, said many young people do not see construction as an option, particularly without a family connection or the chance to meet someone working in the sector, and that the academy addresses this by putting employers at the heart of the learner experience.

Background

Chris McDonald, Minister for Industry at the Department for Business and Trade, visited Build Academy on 5 February 2026, hosted by CITB, the FMB and Shooters Hill Sixth Form College. CITB reported that the minister said the Government is investing £625m in construction skills training.

Tim Balcon, CITB Chief Executive, said at the time that the academy showed what industry and education can achieve when they work together with real ambition.

CITB's Construction Workforce Outlook forecasts that the UK needs more than 47,000 extra construction workers a year by 2029. In London, CITB said recruitment would need to rise by 8,460 workers a year by 2029 to meet current demand.

The FMB's State of Trade Survey found 61% of its member firms have difficulty recruiting skilled tradespeople. Brian Berry, Chief Executive of the Federation of Master Builders, said at the graduation that the academy was proof that real change is possible when the industry takes ownership of the skills challenge.

In August 2026 the FMB called on every secondary school in London to put a builder in front of pupils before they choose their GCSE options. Research it published on 11 August 2026 found 32% of Londoners said meeting successful tradespeople would make them more likely to encourage a young person into construction, against a UK average of 29%, while 30% wanted better careers advice in schools.

What happens next

The BPIC Awards 2026, which the organisation bills as celebrating inclusion, innovation and social value in the built environment, take place on 4 December 2026 at the Queen Elizabeth II Centre, Broad Sanctuary, London SW1P 3EE.