Insulation specialist Actis has backed a warning by the NHBC that ‘skill, baby, skill’ is required for the government to achieve its target to ‘build, baby, build’ 1.5 million homes by 2029.
The call, by NHBC Chief Operating Officer David Campbell at a construction reception at the Labour Party conference, stressed that a significant expansion of the housebuilding workforce was vital to enable it to hit its ambitious target.
Actis UK and Ireland Sales Director Mark Cooper agreed that encouraging more people to choose a career in construction is vital.
The company is playing its part by upskilling existing professionals via its RIBA-approved CPD training courses and interesting young people in the industry through school and college outreach sessions.
Mark added that the housebuilding industry must also embrace speedier construction methods to help compensate for a smaller workforce.
In other words more offsite construction is needed, which can be around 30% faster than traditional brick and block, thus increasing output capacity.
He said: “Our Hybrid insulation systems are used in many of these modular homes. As the products can be installed by less experienced members of the construction team, this frees up the longer-serving colleagues to carry out some of the more skilled tasks.
“As they are factory built, such homes are also known to deliver more consistent quality and more effective thermal efficiency.”
