New college will be a ‘game changer’

Dudley’s new construction college will be a ‘game-changer’ according to the town’s Labour MP Sonia Kumar.

Ms Kumar joined West Midlands mayor Richard Parker in backing to a new Technical Excellence College based at Dudley College of Technology.

The  new college will be one of ten sites at locations around England with the aim of training 40,000 home-grown construction workers.

Ms Kumar said: “This announcement marks a major step forward for skills development in Dudley.

“By choosing Dudley College to be the West Midlands Construction Technical Excellence College, we’re opening doors for local people to gain high-quality training and access rewarding careers in a vital industry. 

“It’s about creating real opportunities — giving our young people and adult learners the tools they need to succeed, right here in their own community.

“I’m proud to see Dudley leading the way in building a skilled workforce for the future. This is a vote of confidence in our town’s potential and in the talent of our people.”

The specialist colleges will teach a variety of skills to deliver a new generation of builders, bricklayers, electricians, carpenters, and plumbers by 2029.

The £100m investment in the colleges is what the Labour government says will be a step towards its ambition of creating 1.5m new homes by the end of the current parliament.

Richard Parker, Labour’s Mayor of the West Midlands said: “Dudley has a proud history of making and building and this new status for Dudley College will help make sure it has a proud future too.

“Construction is vital to our economy and infrastructure – and it offers young people the skills to build a career in a sector that’s in demand.

“I’m pleased the government has committed this investment and I’ll be working with them, Dudley College and local employers to make sure it delivers opportunities for people across the Black Country and the wider region.”

Labour’s ambitious plan will require around 300,000 new homes to be built every year and some industry experts are not convinced they can be delivered.

The National Housing Federation said: “Since the 1940s, net housing supply has only reached close to 250,000 homes per year on a sustained basis either alongside a substantial social housebuilding programme, or with government support for first time buyers, as with Help to Buy between 2013 and 2022.”

Real estate experts Savills published research on the government’s target in October 2024.

They found new-build homes would need to account for one in five home sales per year to create the demand for construction on the scale required to hit Labour’s target.

According to Savills, new homes typically make up one in ten home sales per year.

Without intervention from Westminster, Savills predict there will be a shortfall of between 40,000 and 95,000 homes per year against the government’s target.

Chris Buckle, director of residential research at Savills, said: “The proposed reforms to the planning framework in England are positive, but we need a clear route for these homes to be absorbed into the market.  

“Government needs to support a diverse range of delivery, including support for home ownership and an expanded grant programme for affordable housing.”