Hayes talks up construction

South Holland and the Deepings MP Sir John Hayes has called for ‘urgent action’ to address a skills crisis in house building.
He appeared on the Federation of Master Builders’ Build Up From The Basement podcast.
The former skills minister told host Iona Stewart-Richardson that the government’s ambitious housing targets cannot be achieved without addressing fundamental skills shortages.
He said: “You’ve got to have people to do that, and that means equipping people with the necessary skills.”
Sir John also mentioned the charity he’s honorary president of, YouthBuild UK, which aims to give 18 to 24-year-olds from disadvantaged backgrounds apprenticeships.
“I think that practical, vocational and technical competences are at least as significant as academic prowess,” he said.
Sir John strongly endorsed the FMB’s campaign for mandatory builder licensing, drawing on both historical precedent and personal family history.
“My great-grandfather and great-great-grandfather on my father’s side were stone masons and they would have been through a long period of learning and then gained a licence to practice in their craft,” he explained. “If in order to trade, you have to be able to show a level of professionalism, a degree of competence, that means that people won’t end up being cheated.”