This is a joint press release from RIBA, RTPI, CIOB and RICS.
The joint institutes, representing around 200,000 professionals across the built environment, are calling for built environment Level 7 apprenticeships to be exempt from reforms in access to the Growth and Skills Levy.
In a joint statement today, Wednesday 18 December 2024, the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA), the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI), the Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB) and the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) press the Minister for Skills, Baroness Smith of Malvern, to urgently consider the impact changes to levy funding will have on the sector’s ability to address future skills demand in our contribution to the Government’s growth priorities.
The joint institutes said:
"Built environment Level 7 apprentices play a key role in delivering the Government’s 'mission-led' milestones of building 1.5 million homes over the course of this Parliament and the acceleration to achieving net zero. The Government’s recently published Plan for Change states that to deliver ambitions, it will 'require a rate of housebuilding and infrastructure construction not seen in over 50 years' indicating an increased demand on capacity in an already under-resourced sector. As noted recently by the Deputy Prime Minister, the Plan for Change will require a cross-government approach. We strongly urge the government to deliver on that ambition by helping the built environment sector to address the skills shortage.
Level 7 apprenticeships are an additional access route for people from underrepresented groups to participate in built environment professions, ensuring that a wide range of voices and experiences are reflected in the communities and places we create. Built environment bodies are deeply concerned about the potential negative impact of a reduction in employer access to the new Growth and Skills Levy to recruit or upskill Level 7 apprentices at a time when there is a clear need to widen access and increase capacity. Without access to levy funding, organisations will not be able to support and deliver training for built environment Level 7 apprentices, reducing the sector’s ability to meet the capacity demands of the Government’s growth mission."
Notes to editors:
- RTPI media contact: news@rtpi.org.uk
- The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) is a global professional membership body that serves its members and society in order to deliver better buildings and places, stronger communities and a sustainable environment. Follow @RIBA on X/Twitter for regular updates.
