How the Construction Sector can Best Support T and V Levels

Skills shortages in construction are not a new problem. For at least ten years, we have been grappling with this issue, and the CITB is still forecasting that we will need over a quarter of a million extra construction workers by 2028. What has changed is the nature of skills in short supply as we experience increasing digital pressures and a growing need for green skills to meet the demands of retrofit projects and net zero targets. These demands sit alongside the need for technical skills and core skills, which are also in short supply. At the same time, our sector’s ageing workforce means fewer mentors, and even those with years of experience are vulnerable to skills gaps as AI and other new tools become commonplace. This adds to the challenge of attracting new talent.

These challenges make it essential that the construction industry engages with, and shapes, the educational pathways that feed our talent pipeline. One way to do so is through working with T Level providers. With T Level students required to complete a minimum of 45 days on an industry placement, they gain genuine site experience and exposure to our industry, which becomes a huge advantage when they go on to seek employment. We have seen several T Level students progress from their industry placements onto our trainee programme, with their prior experience and existing understanding of the business and its culture supporting their success.

Poppy Wilkins, who completed her Design, Surveying and Planning T Level at North Kent College with over 300 hours of site experience across two Willmott Dixon projects, was accepted onto our Management Trainee Programme in 2024 – describing the placement as the experience that “solidified her interest in a construction career.” Millie Simms and Olivia Stapleton tell a similar story: having studied T Levels in Design Surveying and Planning and Business Management respectively, both have since joined us as apprentices, with Millie working towards becoming a design manager, and Olivia building the foundations for a career in framework management.

Building stronger partnerships with providers

Crucially, working with T Level providers isn’t about passively taking students for placements. The best results come from working closely with each provider and their needs. There are also opportunities to engage directly with T Level teachers and tutors through organisations such as the Education Training Foundation (ETF) and its T Level Professional Development programme. This involves bringing teaching staff on site for ‘industry insights’ days, including upskilling opportunities to improve their understanding of current practice and help them apply this in the classroom or workshop.

Engaging with those who deliver the qualifications deepens the construction sector’s impact. When we support even just one teacher, we reach many more students – including future, as well as existing, cohorts. Engagement with delivery staff also enables our sector to shape the curriculum to reflect current practice. This is especially true given T Levels are still relatively new, with providers themselves still trialling approaches, especially when it comes to industry placements. With V Levels now being introduced, it will be interesting to see how these complement current provision and where there are opportunities for employer engagement. Collaboration and sharing of expertise both ways is mutually beneficial for construction firms and for providers; their students are better equipped for the real world of work, and we are better able to support a pipeline of skilled talent to address sector shortages.

Embedding AI literacy alongside technical fundamentals

Working with providers on the risks and opportunities surrounding AI is one way in which we can shape and strengthen T and V Levels for the built environment. While routine tasks such as basic computer-aided drafting, quantity take-offs, or standard compliance checks are all increasingly automated, this shift allows learners to move more quickly into higher-value activities. For example, students might use AI-enabled building information modelling (BIM) tools to identify design clashes and then apply technical judgement to assess buildability. Or they might use AI-assisted energy modelling to explore sustainability options and clearly explain the implications to a product team. By embedding AI literacy alongside strong technical fundamentals, critical thinking, and communication skills, T and V Levels can produce entrants who are better prepared for evolving roles and able to add value from the start of their careers.

Benefits beyond the talent pipeline

While building a direct skills pipeline has obvious value, the benefits don’t stop there. Often colleagues are energised by their role in nurturing T Level students on their placement. For managers with decades of experience, overseeing placements can provide a whole new challenge to learn from. From that perspective, working with students can support staff retention and wellbeing. T Level engagement also supports construction organisations’ wider social value work, bringing societal gains alongside often incidental business benefits. We know that these qualifications are supporting meaningful pathways to employment and that sharing our expertise and sector knowledge with students and teachers is enhancing T Levels’ economic viability.

Of course, different sized organisations will have varied capacity to engage in and support T Levels. But there are so many ways to engage that most organisations can play a role. For example, if taking on T Level students for placements is difficult, a smaller organisation can still make an impact by interacting with teachers and hosting an ‘industry insights’ day with support from organisations like ETF.

Within the construction sector, we are likely to derive the biggest benefits from T Levels by working collaboratively, sharing our knowledge about what works with approaches to industry placements and supporting industry exposure for teaching staff to enable better cross-sector engagement with education providers. As more and more providers deliver T Levels, and as V Levels are introduced, we know the sector has an opportunity to meaningfully support the success of these education pathways, with long-lasting benefits for learners, the construction sector, and our wider economy.

By Sarah Fraser, Head of Social Value, and Nicola Millard, Acting Principal Sustainability Manager, at Willmott Dixon