The housebuilding industry needs “skill, baby, skill,” if the country is to hit the government’s target of building 1.5 million homes before the next election, says a homes standards body.  

National House Building Council chief operating officer David Campbell (pictured) will warn that without “a significant and sustained expansion of the house-building workforce”, the country is in danger of missing that target.

Campbell will deliver his message in a speech at the Labour Party conference in Liverpool on Sunday.

His comments will come after housing secretary Steve Reed vowed to “build, baby, build,” earlier this month. 

Reed added he would “leave no stone unturned” as the UK “moves on to the next stage in unleashing one of the biggest eras of building in our country’s history”.   

But the NHBC’s Campbell is expected to say at a conference fringe reception: “We welcome ‘build, baby, build,’ but we need to ‘skill, baby, skill’ to ensure we have the workforce needed to build 1.5 million homes.” 

Campbell will add: “Without a significant increase in the workforce, scaling up the volume of quality new homes will be incredibly challenging. 

“More than 250,000 extra construction workers will be needed by 2028 just to meet the current demand, let alone build more new homes.  

“That’s why we must get moving now. You can’t create a skilled workforce overnight.” 

The NHBC issues warranties and insurance to new homes. 

However, among bricklayers alone, the total workforce is down by nearly 100,000 compared to five years ago, according to Office for National Statistics data, as fewer young people enter the industry and Eastern European workers return home. 

There are also shortages among a range of trades, such as electricians and plumbers.   

Earlier this month, the Federation of Master Builders said that “delays and cancellations” are affecting projects on the ground. 

It said: “Over 60% of builders are struggling to find skilled tradespeople, 49% report job delays, and 23% have had to cancel work entirely.” 

Also, this month, the Office for National Statistics delivered what will be a concerning set of housebuilding figures to the government.

It recorded 38,780 new homes built and completed between January and March, 21% fewer homes compared to the previous quarter. 

This is below a 75,000 quarterly housebuilding target that would be needed to hit 1.5 million homes by the end of this Parliament.    

In March, the Chancellor unveiled a £600m plan to train up to 60,000 bricklayers, electricians and carpenters.

Rachel Reeves said the four-year scheme would get young people into “well-paid, high-skilled” construction jobs by funding additional placements, establishing technical excellence colleges, and launching new foundation apprenticeships, among other measures.