Continuing our series featuring insights from major employers, Catherine Duffy, chief people officer at Costain, tells Nicky Roger how the infrastructure contractor is tackling skills shortages, supporting career development and building a more diverse workforce.
What are the biggest skills gaps in construction right now?
It’s an exciting time for infrastructure. We are seeing strong growth across our key markets of water, transportation, energy and defence, but that growth brings challenges around skills.
There are three areas where demand is particularly strong. First are the core construction and engineering disciplines, including engineering, commercial management, project management and site supervision. With a strong infrastructure pipeline and increasing demand across the sector, competition for these skills is intense.
The second area is specialist skills. Roles such as tunnelling, planning and estimating remain difficult to recruit because they require highly specific expertise.
The third area is emerging skills. Digital capabilities are becoming increasingly important, while demand for sustainability expertise is also growing as the industry focuses on decarbonisation and resilience.
The positive aspect of the long-term infrastructure pipeline is that it gives organisations greater visibility of future demand, allowing us to invest in skills development more strategically and work collaboratively with government, education providers and industry partners.
How has Costain adapted its approach to attracting and retaining talent?
We take a broad approach. Early careers are a major focus and, for 2026, we’re recruiting up to 160 people through our graduate, apprentice and internship programmes, including more than 80 graduates, around 55 apprentices and more than 20 interns.
But attraction is only part of the picture. We invest heavily in developing talent internally because we want people to see Costain as somewhere they can build a long-term career, not simply find a job.
We are also looking at new talent pools. That includes people returning to work after career breaks, young people who are not currently in employment, education or training, ex-military personnel, and people who may be further from the labour market. We believe there is significant untapped potential in these groups.
At the same time, we’re working hard to showcase construction as a purposeful industry. People increasingly want meaningful work, and infrastructure offers exactly that. Everything we do is focused on improving people’s lives and creating sustainable infrastructure for the UK.
What skills are you looking for in graduates and apprentices?
Technical ability is important, but we place equal emphasis on behaviours and attributes.
The first is collaboration. Construction is fundamentally a team activity, so we look for people who can work effectively with others towards a common goal.
The second is curiosity. We want people who ask questions, seek to understand why things are done a certain way and continuously look for better solutions.
Third is courage. That means being willing to challenge, speak up and contribute ideas. In construction, it is equally important from a safety perspective as it is from an innovation perspective.
The fourth is care. We want people who are considerate, compassionate and committed to supporting colleagues and customers.
These qualities help people succeed regardless of where they are in their careers.
How important is career mobility to retention?
It’s hugely important. People want to know how they can progress and what opportunities exist for them.
Last year we launched our Career Pathways Framework, which maps every job family across the business and shows employees what skills, competencies and experience are needed to progress. Importantly, it also highlights transferable skills and potential opportunities in other parts of the organisation.
Career development is no longer just about moving upwards in a single discipline. Someone might start in engineering and discover opportunities in project management, corporate responsibility or another area altogether.
We’ve already had more than 500 colleagues complete assessments through the framework, with hundreds more currently taking part. The response has been extremely positive because it gives people ownership of their development and visibility of future opportunities.
What barriers still exist for women and underrepresented groups?
The industry has made progress, but there is still more to do.
Today, 30% of Costain’s workforce is female, compared with 20% in 2015. Our plc board is 57% female, and our executive committee is 43% female. In our 2025 graduate intake, 38% were women and 49% were from ethnic minority backgrounds.
“Whether through early careers programmes, professional development, career mobility or inclusion initiatives, we want everyone to have the opportunity to achieve their potential.”
Attracting diverse talent starts early. We work extensively with schools and STEM programmes, using visible role models to challenge outdated perceptions about who works in construction.
However, diversity is about much more than recruitment statistics. We focus heavily on inclusion, culture and progression. We have six employee inclusion networks covering areas including women, disability and wellbeing, ethnicity, LGBT+ employees, parents and carers, and the armed forces community.
These networks help us understand the real barriers people face and shape practical improvements. For example, our paid carers’ leave policy emerged directly from employee feedback.
We also run Empower, a programme designed to support women progressing into senior roles. Across the first three cohorts, 75% of participants have moved into new roles to advance their careers, with 58% securing promotions.
How will AI and digital technology change the workforce?
Digital skills will become increasingly important in construction, but technology won’t replace people.
AI and automation can help improve efficiency, support decision-making and streamline processes. We’re already exploring opportunities in recruitment and talent management.
However, it’s important to use these tools responsibly. We must ensure they don’t introduce bias and that we don’t lose the human connection that remains central to our industry.
For example, we are committed to providing feedback to candidates throughout our early careers recruitment process. Technology can support that experience, but people still value genuine interaction and engagement.
What makes Costain a great place to work?
For me, it’s the combination of purpose, opportunity and people.
We’re working on projects that make a real difference to society, helping create more resilient and sustainable infrastructure across the UK.
At the same time, we’re committed to helping people build meaningful careers. Whether through early careers programmes, professional development, career mobility or inclusion initiatives, we want everyone to have the opportunity to achieve their potential.
I’ve been with Costain for 20 years, and one of the reasons I’ve stayed is that I’ve been able to build multiple careers within the same organisation. That’s something we’re passionate about offering to others too.
Are you looking for top construction talent? Want to get ahead of the competition? Contact Sophie Holland at CIOB Jobs.
