For a long time the path for young people felt fixed. Finish school, head to university, step into an office and try to climb the ladder. That story is changing fast. A new generation is choosing careers that feel real, purposeful and secure, and many of them are leaving traditional graduate routes behind in favour of the trades and the wider world of construction and infrastructure.
The shift is visible everywhere. This year HS2 welcomed 21 new starters onto its early careers programme, including graduates and apprentices who are choosing to build long term futures within the project. Over the past eight years HS2 has taken on more than 200 apprentices and over 100 graduates directly, and close to 1,900 people have joined apprenticeship roles through its partners and supply chain. For an industry facing a significant skills shortage, this commitment is more than a recruitment drive. It is a pipeline for the country’s future capability.
What stands out is the kind of young people coming through. Fresh research from B&Q shows that almost half of Gen Z tradespeople already hold a degree. They are not turning to trades because they had no other choice. They are choosing them because the roles offer stability, career progression and the potential to build something of their own. Many see a clearer route to starting a business in the trades than in a corporate setting. They also see work with visible outcomes. Something they can point to. Something that matters.
Stories like that of Jess Rose bring the research to life. Jess followed the expected path through A levels and into law. She gathered qualifications, completed the necessary training and took a job in a firm. Every step looked like progress, but the daily reality did not match the promise. Long hours, expensive study requirements and slow career movement made her question whether the path she was on could ever deliver the life she wanted. She made a complete change, retrained in a trade and discovered a sense of control and fulfilment she had been missing. She now encourages young people to think honestly about what they want, rather than feeling pressured into university simply because it is the expected route. Her story is becoming more common as graduates look for careers that feel grounded, rewarding and financially secure.
The challenge now is access. More than half of existing tradespeople say the decline in apprenticeships is one of the biggest barriers for young people wanting to enter the sector. Apprenticeship opportunities have fallen since 2021, and many small businesses, traditionally the main providers of training, simply cannot afford to take on learners. This is happening at a time when the UK is predicted to need at least 250,000 additional tradespeople by 2030, not including the workforce needed for new housing targets or the rapid growth in retrofit demand.
Efforts are being made to fill the gap. B&Q has contributed over £1 million through the Transfer to Transform scheme, supporting small businesses to recruit and train new apprentices using redirected levy funds. Campaigns such as Do the Lift Thing are tackling perception issues and championing women who are already succeeding in the sector. The idea is simple. Young people cannot aspire to roles they never see. Yet only a little over half of the workforce believes trades are welcoming to women. Improving this is not only about fairness. It is also about unlocking a huge pool of untapped ability at a time when the industry urgently needs it.
This makes the HS2 early careers programme particularly important. By rotating graduates through departments such as project management, commercial quantity surveying, environment and programme controls, the scheme builds a new generation of multi-skilled professionals. Apprentices studying while earning gain hands-on experience in roles that keep major projects moving. For many of them the attraction is the chance to work on something that will shape the country for decades. One apprentice described it as being part of something that gives back to people. That sense of purpose is powerful.
Across construction, design and infrastructure, the message is becoming clear. Young people want careers that feel meaningful, with visible results and room to grow. They are not abandoning education. They are combining it with practical skills and using it to build careers that feel more secure than office-based roles that no longer guarantee stability.
This is a moment of opportunity for the industry. If accessible apprenticeships, inclusive workplaces and strong training investments are put in place, the sector will attract a generation who are ambitious, digitally skilled and ready to take on major national challenges. These young people are not simply filling vacancies. They are preparing to shape the future economy.
A career in the trades or in infrastructure is no longer something people fall back on. It is a deliberate choice. And if the industry continues to open its doors, it will gain a wave of talent ready to build, innovate and lead.
Written By: Lee-john Ryan
