Building Momentum: Why Industry Must Lead the Skills Charge

With £600 million pledged to train 60,000 workers by 2029, the construction industry has a chance to close its widening skills gap. But funding alone isn’t enough, and real change must come from within. Dan Lewis, Construction Director at The Momentum Group, heading up Momentum Build, has built his career through hands-on training and now champions industry outreach, teaching students about careers in construction. He’s joined by Elliot Smith, a university student and Trainee Quantity Surveyor at The Momentum Group, who blends academic learning with practical site experience. Together, they explore why the sector itself must lead the momentum for change.

Dan Lewis, Construction Director, The Momentum Group: This year, Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced a £600 million investment into the construction sector, aimed at training 60,000 skilled workers by 2029. This move acknowledges a pressing issue: the shortage of skilled labour, which is a major barrier to fulfilling the Government’s pledge to ‘get Britain building again.’ Thousands of job vacancies remain unfilled, a situation worsened by the lasting impact of COVID and the UK’s ongoing housing shortage.

While this investment is vital, especially as the industry recovers from recent challenges, we must first address something more foundational: the narrative surrounding construction. Before any money can be effectively injected, we need to rebuild how people view the sector.

As someone who has spent their entire career in construction, I know the difference mentorship and practical experience can make. I began my journey at 16 with a mentor who guided me through a two-year ONC (National Certificate in Construction) course, a two-year HNC course and a three-year Project Management Degree – all on a ‘day-release’ basis while I worked on site. I didn’t begin with a degree; I started on-site, and that’s where I truly learned. That kind of grounded introduction is what inspired me to stay in this industry. It’s a model that works, but it’s one we risk losing if we don’t make it visible and accessible to young people.

What the industry needs now isn’t just funding – it’s mentorship, practical training, and a grassroots shift in perception. The narrative around construction must be led from within, by industry leaders at every level. More conversations, more visibility, more storytelling, that’s how we start engaging young people with apprenticeships and career opportunities. It’s not just the government’s role to promote these paths. It’s ours.

At The Momentum Group, this is a responsibility we’ve embraced. We’ve partnered with Southport College, attended school fairs, offered on-site experiences, and created placements for students from underprivileged backgrounds or are neurodivergent  through our partnership with Strawberry Field. We bring this narrative to life internally too through ‘Young Momentum’, our initiative where younger team members share their career journeys and growth in the industry.

Why do we do this? Because this is how we change perceptions. If we want to secure the future of UK construction, we need to inspire the next generation. That means walking into schools and showing students that construction isn’t just about hard hats and muddy boots. Once we’ve built this understanding and inspired a new wave of talent, only then should we talk about wider government investment. Because when the sector itself leads the charge, that investment will be far more impactful.

Elliot Smith, Trainee Quantity Surveyor, The Momentum Group: Following on from Dan’s point, when I first started thinking about career options, construction wasn’t even on my radar. Like many people my age, when I thought of construction, I pictured the usual stereotype – hard hats and tools. I had no idea what a quantity surveyor even did. It took a suggestion from my chemistry tutor for me to even investigate it.

What was missing for me was exposure. I hadn’t been shown what the industry offered or the variety of roles available, and more importantly, I hadn’t heard a narrative from anyone in the sector. I knew nothing about the pathways, apprenticeships, or career possibilities that existed within construction.

When I reached out to The Momentum Group for experience, everything changed. They were quick to respond and offered real-world exposure and mentorship from Dan. Now, I’m a university student training with The Momentum Group, balancing academic study with practical industry experience. My placement year has completely transformed how I see the sector. No lecture compares to standing within a live site, engaging with clients, and seeing how decisions affect a build in real time. It gave purpose to my education.

This experience, getting thrown into the deep end, was key to reshaping my perception of construction. I saw that quantity surveying and the industry are filled with potential I never knew existed.

Mentorship and peer support also showed me how important it is for the industry to make itself more visible. Momentum’s outreach is great, but we need more companies to follow that lead. Government funding is valuable, but it can’t work in isolation. We need industry leaders to drive visibility and inspire the next generation.

As I grow in this industry and hopefully mentor others one day, I want to see a shared effort, not just in terms of funding, but in cultural change. With stronger school partnerships, practical training, and more visible role models, we can make construction a career of choice, not a fallback.