17 Aug 2023

New Report Helping to Solve the Sustainable Skills Shortage

NFRC's Head of Careers, Ruth Scarrott, as part of the Skills for a Sustainable Skyline Taskforce, has been involved in the creation of its first report, which includes recommendations for tackling the serious skills shortage we are facing.

Following months of research and discussion with stakeholders across the industry, the Skills for a Sustainable Skyline Taskforce has published its first report with recommendations for address the serious skills shortage we are facing. The Skills for a Sustainable Skyline Taskforce was formed in 2022 by the City of London Corporation to bring together industry leaders to identify and address the green skills gaps throughout Central London's commercial built environment. The Greater London Authority has set a target for the city to achieve net zero carbon by 2030 and the City of London Corporation has committed to achieving the same in the Square Mile by 2040. However, one of the biggest obstacles to meeting these goals is the lack of workers in the sector with the skills to deliver more sustainable commercial properties, both on new build and retrofit projects. The Taskforce's report notes that, for example, in 2022, there were just 506 TrustMark accredited retrofit co-ordinators out of the 30,000 needed. The report outlines the issues, drawing on extensive industry research, and provides six key recommendations for addressing the current shortfall in the skills we need as an industry. NFRC's Head of Careers, Ruth Scarrott, who is an associate member of the Taskforce, explains why this report is so important for the roofing sector: “One of the common challenges that businesses across the construction sector face is the difficulty in recruiting, training, retaining and developing the workforce needed now and in the future. A significant proportion of our members are based in, or complete works in, Central London and I believe this report goes some way to support them in having the workforce they need. However, there is still much that needs to be done. We need to work together to realise the opportunity of the report and strive to implement the recommendations, with everyone taking responsibility and playing a part.”

The six recommendations of the report are:

- Recommendation 1: The Planning Pipeline: Create an easily accessible way to collect and share data on upcoming developments and retrofit activities within Central London so that the sector can better quantify workforce skills shortages needed to undertake the work.

- Recommendation 2: Industry Accountability: The sector should have senior level accountability for sustainability and skills training. Organisations should also develop targeted strategies to encourage sustainable design and retrofit as well as to work with clients and tenants to efficiently run in-use operations.

- Recommendation 3: Training and Apprenticeships: Develop sustainability training, apprenticeships, and upskilling courses for emerging job roles by actively engaging and collaborating with IfATE and training providers.

- Recommendation 4: Policies for a Skilled Workforce: Work with government to set more ambitious green skills legislation for the built environment. Recommendation 5: Diversity and Culture: Invest in attracting diverse candidates to a wider spectrum of sustainable roles across the built environment. Recommendation 6: Promotion and Engagement: Engage with schools and colleges as well as generate positive PR to better promote the sector's role in addressing climate change and its wide-ranging career pathways.

If your business is interested in becoming part of the solution contact [email protected] The full report can be found here.

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