Marcus's Story

Marcus, 31, from South West Hertfordshire wanted to retrain as an electrician to help build the homes his community desperately needs. Construction training providers across the East of England had unfilled places while local housing targets remained unmet. But CITB levy funding wasn't directed where it was needed most because HM Treasury treats infrastructure spending as a deficit risk rather than the mechanism that puts skilled tradespeople to work. The workers were available, the training capacity existed, but Westminster's fiscal rules blocked the path from unemployment to meaningful work in construction. This is Marcus's story of how central government spending constraints stop people from building the future we all need. Blocked Britain investigates why talent goes to waste while needs go unmet.