Reports warn of industry’s carbon skills challenge
Construction businesses need to step up their eco training otherwise the UK’s net zero targets could be in jeopardy.
Reports by the CITB and the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) warn of the carbon skills challenge facing the industry, and a contributor to the IPPR study called on employers to act.
Jean Stevens (formerly Duprez), chair of the CIOB business development board, said: “Construction employers urgently need to put net zero training in place for existing workers, but also the new people who will come into the industry from sectors like retail and hospitality. These aren’t skills that can be learned quickly; the emphasis needs to be on quality.”
Stevens added that green skills and knowledge were also lacking at leadership level in construction organisations. “To achieve net zero, we need better awareness at the top of our industry,” she said.
Meanwhile, a Construction Leadership Council initiative, CO2nstruct Zero, has urged firms to play their part in the industry’s decarbonisation. Chair Andy Mitchell said it would build on construction’s united response to the pandemic.
