This National Apprenticeship Week, premium housebuilder Redrow has announced 174 new apprenticeship roles across the UK.

Redrow’s annual research, which surveys the views of 1,000 UK young adults aged 16-24 and 1,000 parents, reveals that construction careers are set to surge, with 1.4 million* young people currently considering a career in the industry.

Interest in construction continues to rise year on year amongst young people, with a 4% increase over the last 2 years. This is expected to rise even further, thanks to hugely shifting perceptions amongst parents – with 66% saying they would encourage their child to pursue an apprenticeship, versus only 29% of parents in 2023.

With apprenticeships being a key stepping stone into a long-term construction career, the annual research from Redrow also found that there are over 709,000 16-24 year olds currently working in the industry, rising from 7% to 9% in two years.

While this suggests strong progress, figures from the Home Builders Federation[1] reveal that for every 10,000 homes built, the industry needs to recruit 30,000 new workers and concerningly, 20% of the homebuilding workforce is currently aged over 50. With the industry experiencing a skills crisis, encouraging younger generations into the sector through alternative avenues such as apprenticeships, has never been more important.

Young people in London are ditching university in favour of practical apprenticeships

As well as parental perceptions shifting drastically, so too are the perceptions of young people when it comes to university degrees.

28% of young people aged 16-24 in London say they don’t have an interest in university and would rather do an apprenticeship. For 27% 3 the cost-of-living crisis has been a large factor in deciding against university. Earning money straight away (28%) and gaining sills that will benefit them for life (25%) are the key reasons why young people in London would opt for an apprenticeship over university.

Promisingly, in schools, the number of young people nationally that say their school does not encourage students to pursue an apprenticeship, has substantially reduced, from nearly half (49%) in 2023, to 29% today. The number of 16-24 year olds that say they have not been told about apprenticeships has also reduced, from 41% in 2023 to 24% in 2025. This demonstrates that while there may still be some work to be done, both at home and at school people are starting to see apprenticeships as a meaningful and viable choice for young people.

Martin Gilpin, Head of Human Resources for Redrow, comments: “The new government has set a housing target of building 1.5 million homes within five years, but if we are ever to come close to achieving this ambitious goal, the UK must tackle the talent and skills shortage in the construction industry.

“With our annual research now in its eighth year, it’s promising to see that there is an uptick of young people showing an interest in the sector and it is crucial that we now convert this interest by promoting the benefits that the sector can bring, – including generous salaries and job security. This needs to start in schools, with teachers provided with even more tools and training to be able to deliver on this.”

What young people in London are looking for when it comes to work

When it comes to long term careers, the top consideration for young people nationally is high pay (35%). This could explain some of the positive changing sentiment towards the construction sector: in London monetary motivations like high salary potential 33% and getting ahead financially 17% are amongst the top factors that make construction specifically an attractive career for young people.

Beyond the financial incentives, 39% of 16-24 year olds in London agree that a career in construction is valued highly by society due to the government’s focus on housebuilding targets, resulting in a 31%3 agreeing there is no longer a stigma associated with a construction career.

One in five (20%) young people in the UK are currently considering a career in construction, 24% of men, versus only 16% of women. Redrow’s research suggests that this could be a result of a lack of awareness about the variety of roles available, with over a third (34%) who have not considered a career in construction citing the involvement of manual labour as key reason for this.

Martin continues: “Our research indicates there is still much work to be done, particularly when it comes to challenging perceptions in construction. Our upcoming cohort of apprentices includes not only traditional trade roles such as carpentry and bricklaying, that you might expect in construction, but also in office positions across commercial, planning and design. The housebuilding industry plays a crucial role in our society and encouraging people into all parts of the industry via the likes of apprenticeships is critical to its future success.”

This National Apprenticeship Week Barratt Redrow plc is encouraging more young people to consider a career in construction with 174 nationwide positions being released this February across both trade and office-based roles. To find out more, please visit: www.redrowplc.co.uk/apprentices.