Why Apprenticeships Are Broken. And What Construction Leaders Must Do Now

The construction industry is facing a crisis, not just of labour, but of leadership.

If you’ve struggled to attract and retain apprentices, you’re not alone. Across the UK, firms are battling a skills shortage that’s only getting worse. But here’s the truth few are saying out loud:

Apprenticeships are failing because mentorship has disappeared.

In a recent episode of The Heald Approach Podcast, I sat down with Garry Staines, founder of Site Ready Solutions and a third-generation bricklayer, to dig into why construction apprenticeships aren’t working, and what smart leaders need to do about it.

🛠️ Why the Traditional Apprenticeship Model No Longer Works

“Apprentices don’t work unless they have mentors. That’s the simple reason it’s broken.”– Garry Staines

Historically, the apprenticeship model was built on a foundation of one-to-one mentorship. Skilled tradespeople took on the next generation, not just to train them, but to develop them.

Today?

It’s become a tick-box exercise, with mentorship removed, stretched site teams, and no one truly accountable for development.

The result?

• High drop-out rates

• Poor retention

• Disengaged new entrants

• Burnt-out teams

• A growing skills and labour gap no government levy can fix

  
  

Even the Construction Leadership Council and CITB recognise that unless we overhaul how we approach training and development, we’ll keep pouring money into a leaky bucket.

🧠 The Real Problem Isn’t Talent, It’s Culture

There’s a damaging myth that young people don’t want to graft. But in truth, most new entrants want to contribute — they’re just landing in workplaces that haven’t evolved.

Gary breaks it down:

“We’ve created systems that don’t support people anymore. Mentorship used to be central. Now it’s missing and we’re paying the price.”

Construction leaders need to stop blaming the next generation and start asking:

• Are we equipping our team leads to mentor?

• Are we building inclusive, flexible pathways into the industry?

• Are we actively developing our site culture or just hoping apprentices stick around?

  
  

🔍 5 Actions Construction Leaders Can Take Right Now

1. Rebuild Mentorship into Your Workforce Strategy

Don’t rely on colleges to do all the work. Mentorship must be embedded into your company culture and delivery model.

2. Tap Into Local Talent Pipelines

Partner with programmes like CITB's Construction Careers or Give an Hour to inspire local entry points.

3. Develop Your Supervisors as Coaches

Middle managers often become blockers. Equip them with basic mentoring and leadership skills to retain apprentices and grow internal talent.

4. Create Culture, Not Just Compliance

Health and safety is non-negotiable, so is culture. If people don’t feel seen, supported, or challenged, they leave.

5. Think Long-Term, Not Just Project-to-Project

Investing in people pays off. The cost of losing and replacing apprentices mid-project far outweighs the cost of mentoring and structured onboarding.

🌱 Sustainability Starts With People

If your business is serious about building sustainably, it starts with your people, not just materials or modular systems.

Reducing carbon footprints? Yes.

Delivering to ESG targets? Absolutely.

But without human capital, no green goal gets met.

Local hiring reduces emissions.Mentorship reduces attrition.Strong culture boosts productivity.

It’s all connected.

🎧 Listen Now: The Heald Approach Podcast with Garry Staines

“We need to stop waiting for government solutions. Rock and roll didn’t come from policy — it came from people. The same goes for apprenticeships.”– Garry Staines

👉 Listen to the full episode here

👉 Watch the full episode here