The construction industry will require the equivalent of 350,000 new roles to be created by 2028 to fulfil the government’s 2050 net zero ambition according to a report out today by the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB).

Using data from the Climate Change Committee (CCC), additional decarbonisation work will have created the demand for 86,000 construction project managers, 33,000 building envelope specialists and 59,000 plumbers and HVAC specialists.

CITB’s research, published in Building Skills for Net Zero, shows that reducing built environment emissions to Net Zero can be achieved if there is an industry-wide investment in skills, far-reaching skills policy reform and an unprecedented recruitment drive.

Chris Carr, Managing Director of Carr & Carr Builders, and Federation of Master Builders Board Member, said:“The skills challenge around Net Zero is huge and this research shows how it can be tackled. A big part of it will be upskilling the current workforce so they know what sustainable building is all about.

“Net Zero presents a huge challenge for construction but an even greater opportunity to create a more productive industry that’s also a more attractive career option. 

“We can get there by being clear on the key skills we’ll need, making sure we have the right courses and qualifications to deliver them and getting on with investing in them. Industry is already delivering what is needed, but it needs to happen at scale. The training sector must act now as employers’ needs will change fast. A joined up approach to skills across the built environment is key.

“Government also has a key role in specifying what it wants and creating the pipeline of demand that will give industry the confidence to invest in the skills we need and for providers to invest in the courses we need to deliver these skills.”       

UK construction contributes approximately 40% of the UK’s emissions according to the UK Green Building Council (UKGBC). A critical element of achieving Net Zero will be reducing carbon emissions from existing buildings. Across the UK 80% of buildings in use in 2050 have already been built and these could represent 95% of future built environment emissions. Reducing emissions to Net Zero will require retrofit work on up to 27 million domestic and two million non-domestic buildings.

The CITB’s report is published to compliment the CLC Skills Plan, which sets out industry action to modernise and decarbonise skills, and CO2nstructZero, a collaborative industry change programme to deliver Net Zero.