Make UK joins new Heathrow Infrastructure Skills Council addressing NEETs crisis
14.09.2026
Make UK has joined Heathrow, the TUC and senior former government figures to launch a new Infrastructure Skills Council aimed at using major infrastructure projects to create clearer routes into skilled careers for young people.
The Heathrow Infrastructure Skills Council will bring together employers, trade unions, colleges and training partners from across the UK to examine how nationally significant projects, including Heathrow expansion, can unlock apprenticeships, technical training and entry-level pathways for young people.
The Council comes at a time when nearly one million young people in Britain are not in education, employment or training. It has been endorsed by Alan Milburn, who is leading the Government’s independent review into young people and work, and will be co-chaired by Lord Blunkett and Rt Hon Robert Halfon, Executive Director at Make UK.
As part of its expansion plans, Heathrow has pledged to develop a youth employment and skills plan that could deliver 5,000 apprenticeships, traineeships and other entry-level opportunities for young people, supporting the workforce needed to deliver a third runway and wider jobs across engineering, construction, logistics, sustainability and the supply chain.
The Council will meet four times in regions across the UK, hearing directly from local employers, colleges, training providers and young people before publishing recommendations for Heathrow, the wider infrastructure sector and Government.
Rt Hon Robert Halfon, Executive Director at Make UK and co-chair of the Heathrow Infrastructure Skills Council, said major projects can play a vital role in giving young people a clear skills ladder into work. He said the Council would focus on joining up employer demand, major infrastructure investment and the training routes needed to help young people access skilled, rewarding careers.
Large and vital infrastructure projects create significant opportunities for young people. But opportunity only works if there are clear pathways in—through apprenticeships and technical training that lead to real jobs.
"The skills ladder matters here. We need young people moving from school into structured training that actually connects to these projects, with clear progression and decent careers. The Infrastructure Skills Council is working to join those dots between employer demand, major projects, and the training routes that will fill them.
"That's how we build the infrastructure Britain needs and the workforce to deliver it.
