Mayor backs homebuilding careers drive as hundreds of young people get hands-on experience
Liverpool City Region mayor Steve Rotheram joined 300 young people at an industry-led homebuilding event aimed at inspiring the next generation of talent.
- Students from around 30 Liverpool City Region schools took part in Build Your Future 2026
- More than 20 home builders, supply chain and subcontractor organisations providing over 40 industry volunteers, joined forces to showcase career opportunities across the sector.
- The event highlighted how Liverpool City Region Careers Hub, The Careers & Enterprise Company, Home Builders Federation (HBF), National House Building Council (NHBC) and industry partners are working together to deliver modern work experience.
Build Your Future 2026: Find Your Place in Homebuilding brought together 300 Year 8 and Year 9 students from across Liverpool City Region in an immersive event that showcased the wide range of careers involved in designing, planning, building and maintaining homes and communities.
Liverpool City Region mayor Steve Rotheram joined students, employers and industry leaders to see first-hand how high-quality, modern work experience helps young people explore their future career options.
Delivered by All About Futures in partnership with the Liverpool City Region Careers Hub, HBF, NHBC and industry partners, the event involved more than 20 organisations and over 40 industry volunteers.
From architecture and engineering to construction, planning, sustainability and project management, students discovered that building homes and communities involves much more than bricks and mortar.
The event took place as the home building industry faces significant workforce challenges, with growing demand for skilled workers and an ageing workforce.
More than 30,000 direct and indirect jobs are supported for every 10,000 additional homes built, according to the Home Builders Federation, with bricklayers, groundworkers, plant operatives and plumbers among the occupations in particular demand.
Research from the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) also highlights that 20-25% of the current workforce are aged 50 or over and are therefore approaching retirement, underscoring the need to attract more young people into the sector and strengthen pathways into construction careers.
It also supports the wider ambition to tackle barriers facing young people as they move from education into employment, an issue highlighted by Milburn’s forthcoming report on the challenges facing young people who are not in education, employment or training.
Steve Rotheram, mayor of the Liverpool City Region, said: “We’ve got big ambitions for housing and regeneration across our region, and we need to make sure local people have the skills and opportunities to be part of that future.
“That’s why bringing schools and employers together is so important. Giving young people the chance to get stuck in, meet people working in the industry and see what different careers are really like can open doors they might never have considered.
“By working with partners like The Careers & Enterprise Company and the homebuilding industry, we’re helping to make sure the next generation has the confidence, connections and opportunities to build a brighter future right here in our city region.”
Andy George, director of Industry Attraction and Skills, The Home Builders Federation, said: “It is important that we continue to attract the next generation into the home building industry and help young people understand the breadth of rewarding career opportunities available to them.
“Events like Build Your Future provide a valuable opportunity for students to meet employers, gain practical experience and explore career paths they may not have previously considered.
“Working with Liverpool City Region, The Careers & Enterprise Company, NHBC, Industry partners and employers is key to raising awareness of the opportunities available and supporting young people in understanding what a career in the industry looks like. Building interest in innovative ways creates a potential future talent pipeline which is essential to ensuring we have the skills and people needed to deliver the homes and communities of tomorrow.”
John Yarham, CEO, The Careers & Enterprise Company, said: “Modern work experience is about giving every young person the chance to meet employers, explore different careers and discover where their skills and interests could take them.
“Build Your Future is a fantastic example of what can happen when employers, schools and Careers Hubs work together to bring an industry to life and open young people’s eyes to opportunities they might never have considered.
“Through our partnership with the Home Builders Federation, the Liverpool City Region is showing how national collaboration can create meaningful experiences for young people locally, while helping employers inspire the next generation of talent.”