Fresh look at 'social value schemes' could help to fill up to 36,000 construction industry roles

Around 50 industry experts from across the construction and investment sectors gathered at Birmingham's University College to discuss how better engagement with young people in "overlooked" social sectors could help firms fill an anticipated 36,000 construction roles set to be created in the region over the next few years. 

The event was led by Miss Macaroon founder Rosie Ginday MBE, who has already rolled out youth employment programmes designed to support young people from underrepresented backgrounds in finding work in the region, which in turn helps firms to address their skills shortages.

The Miss Macaroon "All Rise" partnership scheme provides an employment support programme for young people with complex needs, which she says enables companies to develop a skilled, resilient, and diverse group of future employees.  

"We face challenges across the region, with youth unemployment stubbornly high and much higher than the national average; homelessness entrenched and mental health issues rising across society, but there are also opportunities," she said.

"Two weeks ago PM Kier Starmer shared his vision for the country across the road and this shared a clear message for the Government's commitment to the region while kickstarting the economy and breaking down the barriers to opportunities. The new Labour Government has committed to building 1.5m new homes and to a national infrastructure bank which is expected to fund major projects in the region.

“We want to get the message out there that being ‘social’ is an opportunity and not a cost to the business and one of the ways we can directly assist is by crafting programmes that will give people who traditionally have faced barriers to work the confidence and softer skills needed to consider a career in construction."

Last month Miss Macaroon and The Midcounties Co-operative celebrated success with it's "Fairer Futures" Programme back in 2023, an initiative set up to tackle youth employment in Walsall by giving young people access to personalised support, counselling, one-to-one mentoring, training and work experience, which helped 32 people into jobs - many of whom who had never before been in regular employment.

Speaking at the event, Leo Pollak, Head of Housing Policy at the West Midlands Combined Authority, said the influx of construction projects getting underway in the West Midlands means there is now a "great opportunity" for the region's 12,000 construction businesses to create social value.

"We are in the midst of a quite severe housing crisis, the cost of a home is double compared to earnings what it was only 20 years ago," he said. 

"We have over 64,000 households on our social housing waiting lists, we've got the highest level of fuel poverty of any region in the country and alongside that we've also got a real challenge with youth unemployment. We're really keen to explore the model which Rosie has worked on here and ways in which we can unfurl that across the construction sector.

"Construction is huge here, we have just under 12,000 construction companies in the region and it's anticipated given the current pipeline that there'll be the need for about 36,000 new construction jobs coming in.

"The mayor's ambitions are enormous in this world and it requires a huge level of partnership and coordination with agencies across the public, private and third sectors. His ambition is to be building up to 20,000 news social homes, ramping up to 2,000 social homes over the next few years, and he launched the West Midlands youth plan over the summer to get around 20,000 apprenticeships and employment opportunities coming forward for young people."