London, United Kingdom—
To address the growing construction skills shortage in London, United Kingdom, the Mayor of London, Mayor Sadiq Khan (elected in 2016-present), set up and launched the Mayor’s Construction Academy (MCA).
The academy aims to train the local labour force in the construction sectors and build on strong collaboration with local employers and training centres.
The Mayor’s Construction Academy (MCA) seeks to orient Londoners towards training opportunities in the construction sector in order to respond to the increasing employment opportunities in this sector. The initiative has four main aims:
Improve the supply of skilled construction workers among Londoners, including women and people from ethnic minorities;
Scale up and extend high-quality initiatives that already exist across London, with the aim of supporting people to enter and progress in careers in the construction sector;
Intensify local collaboration, mainly between small and medium-sized businesses and construction skills training providers; and
Support the development of training provisions for constructing housing in London.
The Academy aims to achieve these objectives through several different initiatives. First, a ‘Quality Mark’ has been developed, which identifies and recognises organisations that provide high-quality construction skills training in London. This quality is measured in terms of the curriculum, routes into employment and strong links with employers. Second, seven hubs have been established throughout the city to help Londoners, employers, training providers and the organisations supporting them to connect more frequently, more rapidly, and with better outcomes. Moreover, the city has organised construction career events to enhance networking in the sector and partnered with other organisations to provide work placements and apprenticeship opportunities. Third, the city has invested significantly in equipment and facilities to support the delivery of high-quality construction training in London. This includes investment in areas such as building information modelling, design for manufacture and assembly, as well as virtual learning to help trainees get practical skills in the trades earlier and faster.
A key priority of the academy is to train people from under-represented groups, such as women and people from ethnic minorities.
The project involves a range of local stakeholders especially through the MCA hubs, including colleges and universities, employers and training providers.
This initiative led by the Mayor of London shows how the city administration can play a fundamental role in orienting students and workers, including women and people from ethnic minorities, toward sectors characterized by skills shortages. The Academy is also an example of effective collaboration among stakeholders operating at the local level, including employers and training and education institutions.
OECD (2022), "Future-proofing adult learning systems in cities and regions: A policy manual for local governments", OECD Local Economic and Employment Development (LEED) Papers, No. 2022/03, OECD Publishing, Paris, https://doi.org/10.1787/11fa26cc-en.
