The Federation of Master Builders has welcomed the Prime Minister's move to place technical education on an equal footing with academic routes, while urging stronger backing for apprenticeships and a clear role for local SMEs in shaping the reforms.

The trade body said the plan could help ease the construction industry's long-standing skills shortages if paired with measures that enable small building firms to train new entrants and offer meaningful placements. It called for builders to be centrally involved in designing new pathways so training reflects labour market needs across the country.

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Brian Berry, Chief Executive of the FMB, said: "Vocational and technical roles have long been treated as a career of last resort. Today's announcement is an important recognition that construction and other skilled trades deserve to be valued every bit as highly as traditional academic routes. If we are serious about tackling youth unemployment and delivering the skilled workforce the country needs, we must give young people clearer pathways into rewarding careers in construction."

Berry added: "We particularly welcome the commitment to link technical education more closely to local labour market needs, but builders must not be forgotten in this mix. Builders do not exist in pockets, like manufacturing, but are a nationwide network. Small builders train a large proportion of the construction workforce and have first-hand knowledge of the skills their communities require. Builders must be given a seat at the table as these reforms are developed. They will be instrumental in providing work experience, apprenticeships and employment opportunities, and their expertise will be crucial to ensuring that training meets the needs of both learners and industry."