MOD and Places for London launch veterans' construction training programme

The Ministry of Defence and Places for London have launched a programme to train Armed Forces veterans for construction jobs, starting with a first cohort of eight former service personnel learning to operate plant machinery.

The programme, called Building Beyond Service, aims to support up to 60 veterans into construction roles in its first year, the MOD said in an announcement published on 23 October 2026 by the Defence Infrastructure Organisation and Calvin Bailey MBE MP.

Places for London is Transport for London's wholly owned property company. The programme is delivered through its Skills Academy in partnership with The Skills Centre and L Lynch Plant Hire & Haulage, and offers industry-recognised training and direct links to employers.

Calvin Bailey MBE MP, Minister for Veterans and People, said: "The challenge is often making sure those skills are recognised and creating a clear route into civilian careers. That's exactly what this programme is doing, helping veterans move into good jobs while supporting an industry that needs skilled people."

The programme

According to the MOD, the partnership delivers on the government's Defence Housing Strategy and is intended to address skills shortages in construction while creating employment for veterans.

The MOD said Building Beyond Service complements existing Defence-backed employment support. The Career Transition Partnership is for personnel in their final two years of service or discharged within the last two years, according to GOV.UK, while Op ASCEND, a free government-backed employment service delivered by the Forces Employment Charity, is open to veterans who left service more than two years ago. Op ASCEND advisers offer advice on entering sectors including construction.

David Brewer, Chief Executive of the Defence Housing Service, described the scheme as a pilot between the MOD, through the new Defence Housing Service, and Places for London.

Laura Miller, Head of Skills and Growth at Places for London, said: "Our first cohort of veterans is just the beginning. Our ambition is to build a programme that opens doors across the built environment, supports long-term career progression and helps develop the skilled workforce London needs."

The skills gap

The announcement does not name a training location for the plant course. Places for London says its Skills Academy supports Londoners into employment in construction, the built environment and green skills, and gives access to London's only dedicated plant training facility.

In June 2025, Places for London, The Skills Centre and the Earls Court Development Company opened a Green Plant Academy within the Earls Court Skills Centre, with L Lynch among the industry partners, according to Transport for London. In the same release, TfL said Places for London had identified a need for 6,200 plant operatives across the capital by 2027, and cited a Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) estimate that an additional 251,500 construction workers will be needed by 2028.

Places for London and The Skills Centre said in August 2025 that their Construction Skills Programme had trained more than 10,000 people since 2019 and supported 4,200 into new careers in the built environment, through a network of five academies.

The housing strategy

The Defence Housing Strategy, announced by the MOD on 3 November 2025, is backed by £9bn of investment over the next decade and starts a ten-year programme of housebuilding on surplus defence land. The MOD said the new Defence Housing Service would be the centrepiece of a "Forces First" approach, under which Armed Forces personnel and veterans get priority access to homeownership when Defence sites are used for housebuilding.

The strategy followed a January 2025 deal to bring 36,000 military family homes back into public ownership, according to the MOD.

The first cohort of eight veterans is currently in training, with the programme targeting up to 60 veterans in construction roles by the end of its first year.