The City of London Corporation is calling for urgent action and investment to meet “growing demand” for workers with the skills needed to deliver sustainable buildings.
The Skills for Sustainable Skyline Taskforce report, released by the organisation on 9 August, said one of the biggest barriers to tackling the built environment sector’s carbon footprint is “a lack of skilled workers across the whole project life cycle”.
It added that the problem is “particularly acute” in central London because of its high proportion of commercial buildings.
The number of additional workers needed is “surging into the thousands, but the workforce is not growing enough to meet this demand”, the taskforce noted.
Its report cited figures from the Construction Leadership Council that 506 TrustMark-registered retrofit coordinators were in place in the third quarter of 2022, compared with a target of having 30,000 trained heat pump installers in place by 2028.
Employers are having to carry out “months-long searches to recruit qualified workers for sustainable roles”, the taskforce also said.
The report made six recommendations for the built environment sector, government and other stakeholders. These include creating an “easily accessible” way to share data on upcoming developments to help quantify skills shortages, and “senior-level accountability for sustainability and skills training”.
The taskforce also called for active engagement with providers to develop training and apprenticeships for emerging job roles, and for the sector to work with the government to “set more ambitious green skills legislation for the built environment”.
Potential steps outlined in the report include exploring ways to reform section 106 policies, actively helping to shape the Procurement Bill currently going through Parliament, and reforming the apprenticeship levy.
The other recommendations concern investment to attract diverse candidates and promoting the built environment sector’s role in addressing climate change in schools and colleges.
“It is evident that the case for urgent prioritisation of investing in skills is compelling,” the taskforce’s report said. “Swifter measures need to be implemented to close the skills gap, especially so if London is committed to reaching net zero.”
The Skills for Sustainable Skyline Taskforce comprises more than 300 organisations. Its 15-strong strategy steering board includes representatives from Mace and Willmott Dixon.
In the report’s foreword, taskforce chair Keith Bottomley – the Corporation of London’s deputy chairman of policy – referred to estimates that more than 100,000 people will be need to be recruited and upskilled to carry out the UK’s net zero projects.
Bottomley said he hoped the report “will act as a call to action for our sector’s employers, government and professional bodies”, adding: “We need greater collective action to address the workforce gaps in the sector if we are to meet our climate goals.”
Shravan Joshi, chairman of the corporation’s planning and transport committee, said: “The built environment is critical in supporting central London’s transition to a more sustainable economy.
“Buildings have substantial carbon footprints, so reducing emissions in the sector will be pivotal for addressing climate change. Ensuring technical education, such as through apprenticeships, offers a range of flexible training routes towards new jobs, which will be essential to delivering on sustainability ambitions.
“I would like to personally invite industry representatives to join the Skills for a Sustainable Skyline Taskforce, read the new report and to follow the six recommendations to help us build a more sustainable built environment workforce and reshape the sector.”
