The UK government published Industrial Strategy Jobs Plans for Professional and Business Services and for Construction on October 19, 2026, setting out employer-backed commitments to expand skilled career routes for young people. The plans commit professional and business services firms to recruiting 22,400 new apprentices aged under 25 each year over the next five years, and the construction industry to 40,000 placements annually as part of a previously announced ambition to create 100,000 construction job opportunities a year. For construction, the plan commits the industry to stronger workforce planning that identifies jobs and skills needs nationally, regionally and locally, with sector-specific plans for homebuilding, infrastructure, repair and maintenance, and professional and technical roles. A new Construction Apprenticeship Network will be created to boost apprentice recruitment and participation by smaller firms, and major projects, procurement and social value requirements will be used to strengthen employment and skills outcomes while preparing workers for AI and industrialised construction. Named occupations span skilled trades such as bricklaying, carpentry, electrical work and plumbing, alongside careers in engineering, surveying, planning and construction management. The commitments are supported by industry bodies including the Construction Skills Mission Board and the Construction Leadership Council. In professional and business services, the 22,400 annual apprenticeship commitment comes alongside a 20 percent increase in work experience opportunities for young people. Employers also committed to wider adoption of the Living Wage, a new PBS Good Jobs Standard, AI literacy training and greater salary transparency in early-career recruitment. Roles range from accountancy, business and law to AI, cyber security and data analytics. The plans sit inside the government's 2.5 billion pound youth employment package, which is intended to deliver almost one million opportunities for young people to earn or learn through apprenticeships, work experience and training. The wider package includes 50,000 additional apprenticeships for young people and a new incentive of up to 2,000 pounds for SMEs that take on a 16-to-24-year-old apprentice, plus a continued National Insurance exemption for under-21s and apprentices under 25. A Defence Jobs Plan due later this week will lift the number of people supported through defence-sector apprenticeship programmes to at least 14,000 annually by 2035, with Digital and Technologies plans also coming this week. The plans land ahead of the final Milburn review into young people and employment, and delivery runs through mayors, employers and Local Skills Improvement Partnerships. For tradespeople and employers, the figures are annual targets backed by employer pledges rather than open vacancies; the practical test will be how quickly the Construction Apprenticeship Network and local skills partnerships convert the commitments into actual placements.