The Liverpool City Region has taken a significant step towards addressing long-term construction skills shortages, following the signing of a first-of-its-kind partnership between the Combined Authority and the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB). The agreement responds to an estimated need for 9,000 additional construction workers over the next five years, driven by a major pipeline of housing, retrofit and infrastructure projects.
Signed by Mayor of the Liverpool City Region Steve Rotheram, the memorandum of understanding makes the City Region the first Mayoral Combined Authority to formally partner with CITB under its new national Construction Skills Ecosystem initiative. The collaboration is designed to align regional workforce planning with national construction priorities, using live labour market intelligence to inform targeted training provision.
The agreement was signed at a £22 million apartment development in Liverpool’s Baltic Triangle, being delivered by housing association Torus and supported by £960,000 from the Combined Authority’s Brownfield Land Fund. The site provided a practical backdrop for a partnership focused on improving skills supply across active construction projects.
Central to the initiative is access to real-time data from building sites across the Liverpool City Region. This intelligence will enable the Combined Authority to identify skills gaps in areas such as housing delivery, retrofit programmes, digital construction and infrastructure development. In response, training pathways will be shaped to meet employer demand and support sustainable workforce growth.
Construction Workforce Development Unit
A new Construction Workforce Development Unit will also be established to act as a broker between local authorities, construction employers, further education colleges and training providers. Initially launched as a pilot, the model is expected to inform similar approaches across other regional authorities.
Mayor Steve Rotheram said: “The Liverpool City Region has successfully won huge sums of funding to deliver some of the most ambitious housing and infrastructure projects in the country. From a £700m housing programme which will deliver 16,000 homes, to HyNet energy, as well as four new train stations. But to deliver on these plans, we need a skilled, diverse workforce. This partnership with CITB is a first for any Mayoral Combined Authority and shows the leadership role we’re taking to tackle skills shortages head-on.
“Together, we’ll create better opportunities for local people, improve apprenticeship success rates, and embed fair employment and inclusion in construction.”
CITB Chief Executive Tim Balcon added: “This agreement marks a major step forward in aligning national and regional priorities to meet the construction sector’s challenges. By working closely with the Liverpool City Region, we can ensure training provision and workforce planning are responsive to local needs, helping employers and communities thrive.
“A national picture is also required alongside regional approaches. We’re currently collaborating with the Construction Skills Mission Board and have identified hotspots where projected demand for construction skills is high.”
The partnership aligns with wider government commitments, including the pledge to deliver 1.5 million new homes in England by 2029. Locally, the City Region has secured £700 million for new social and affordable housing and is investing a record £68 million in adult skills, further education and training provision, including £12 million for Skills Bootcamps.
CITB will now work alongside Mayoral Combined Authorities, starting with Liverpool City Region, to support long-term construction workforce planning. These partnerships will underpin a National Construction Skills Ecosystem, supported by a Construction Mayoral National Network and culminating in a National Construction Skills Summit in 2026.
By aligning data-driven workforce planning with regional investment, the Liverpool City Region partnership sets a replicable model for delivering skilled labour, inclusive growth, and significant construction programmes.
Read next Nature Restoration Fund: An alternative for developers – Build in Digital
Read next: Are you a building professional? Sign up for a FREE MEMBERSHIP to upload news stories, post job vacancies, and connect with colleagues on our secure social feed.
