The Missing Trade:

We launched Building the Leaders that Build Britain a couple of weeks back – a national campaign to reposition leadership and management as core trade skills across the construction sector.

The response from the industry has been clear. It’s time.

Over the last two years we’ve heard from employers, site managers, industry bodies, training groups and policymakers who all echo the same reality: leadership is being overlooked and it shows.

This is the industry that literally builds Britain. Yet the people responsible for delivering projects, managing teams, holding risk and driving performance are often promoted without structure, training or support.

We wouldn’t allow someone to operate plant, manage fire safety, or install electrical systems without evidence of competence. So why are we still treating leadership as something that people will “pick up” along the way?

We don’t just have a skills gap. We have a leadership gap. And we must treat it with the same seriousness, structure and funding as any other core trade.

Leadership Must Be Treated Like a Trade

If we are serious about professionalising construction and futureproofing the workforce, leadership must be developed just like any other skilled discipline:

• Defined standards that reflect real-world demands
• Structured progression routes for every level
• Formal qualifications that prove capability
• Time for reflection, practice and growth
• Evidence – for employers, clients and regulators

This is what Building the Leaders that Build Britain is focused on. Not tick-box training. But building real capability, with real accountability, through nationally recognised and industry-focused development.

Why Progression and Evidence Matter

Progression is one of the biggest challenges facing our sector. Talented people leave because they don’t see a future. Or worse – they step up, only to be left to sink or swim.

When we treat leadership as a trade, we create a visible path forward. One that builds confidence, builds culture, and builds businesses that perform.

And we can prove it. The industry is increasingly asking for evidence – of competence, of development, of readiness. These qualifications and frameworks give employers the tools to show they are not just promoting people – they are preparing them.

What’s Next

Leadership isn’t a soft skill. It’s a strategic skill. A delivery skill. A core part of what makes construction work.

The Building the Leaders that Build Britain campaign will continue to work with employers, policy leaders and partners to embed this shift across the sector. We’ll support businesses to:

• Map current leadership gaps
• Create funded development pathways
• Align progression to retention and delivery
• Provide measurable evidence of workforce capability
• Build a leadership culture that supports the next generation