At RE:GEN, we welcome the Government’s Construction Jobs Plan and its focus on connecting workforce development, employer-led training and long-term employment opportunities.
This plan closely reflects what we believe in and what we’re already working hard to achieve: using investment in social housing regeneration to not only improve homes, but create real opportunities for the people and communities living in them.
By connecting the work delivered across our business units with training through RE:GEN Academy, we’re helping people access employment, develop their skills and build lasting careers with RE:GEN Group and our wider supply chain.
As the sector focuses on retrofit, building safety and improving housing standards, the need for skilled people has never been greater. But it’s not just about technical competence. It’s about understanding the people and communities we work with, particularly when working in their homes.
Meeting this demand means connecting training to real opportunities, supporting smaller employers and making the industry accessible to everyone.
Securing long-term frameworks to improve existing homes and build new ones gives us visibility of future demand and, moreover, the confidence to invest in future talent. Through RE:GEN Academy, we work directly with employers to shape practical, hands-on training around industry needs and create clear pathways into employment.
The Government’s additional £1.5bn commitment to social and affordable housing is a welcome step forward. But investment in homes must go hand in hand with investment in people, ensuring we have the skills and capacity to deliver today and for the future.
We’re proud that our partnerships with education providers, including Education Partnership North East, further strengthen the connection between learning and the world of work.
Ultimately, as specialists in social housing regeneration, we understand what the industry needs. We use that expertise to ensure people entering the sector develop the knowledge, skills and behaviours employers value, backed by our strong track record of improving homes and communities.
RE:GEN Group was responsible for 27% of all UK lodgements for the Warm Homes: Social Housing Fund 2025/26, including 20.1% of all SHDF 2.1 completions and 27% of all SHDF 1 completions. Regionally, our North East division was responsible for 74% of WH delivery, while our North West counterpart accounted for 70% of regional delivery.
We also recognise that for smaller businesses, participation needs to be practical. Taking on an apprentice or offering a placement requires time, supervision and resources. We’ve been there ourselves, so we understand the challenges first-hand. Easier access to funding and more flexible training will be essential to bringing more SMEs and supply chain partners on this journey.
Having developed this approach in the North East, we’re now building on that experience across our other operating regions, with work already progressing successfully alongside Sheffield City Council. Our focus remains on locally shaped delivery, consistent support and meaningful outcomes through employment, retention and progression.
The opportunity now is to turn the ambition of the Construction Jobs Plan into practical action. With further investment in local apprenticeship support and greater regional decision-making, there is a real opportunity to bring employers, education providers and local partners together around the needs of their communities.
We’re keen to play our part, sharing our experience and working alongside clients, employers, training providers and regional partners to help shape delivery.
We firmly believe that we can achieve so much more together than we can alone. Through collective action, regionally and across the sector, we can turn this ambition into lasting opportunities that genuinely change lives.
Success shouldn’t just be measured by how many people enter the industry, but by how many stay, develop and progress into meaningful careers, alongside the safer, warmer homes and stronger communities their skills help create.
That’s how we strive to deliver lasting impact.
