Pavel's Story

Pavel, 29, from Stockport wanted to retrain as a construction worker to help build the homes his community desperately needs. Despite having planning permission for developments and training providers with empty places, Pavel couldn't access the skills pathway he needed. The issue wasn't a lack of workers or training capacity in the North West. HM Treasury's approach to infrastructure spending treats building homes as a deficit risk rather than recognizing it as the mechanism that puts bricklayers, electricians, and plumbers to work. The workers were available, the training capacity existed, but Westminster chose not to fund the posts. This episode explores how central government decisions blocked Pavel's path into construction work. Disclosure: this podcast advocates for full employment through job guarantee policies.