The National Federation of Builders (NFB) has launched a sector skills plan to tackle workforce shortages and protect specialist skills across the heritage and traditional building sector.
The Repair, Maintenance and Improvement (RMI) Heritage and Traditional Build Sector Skills Plan brings together employers, industry bodies, training providers and heritage organisations around five priorities: workforce development; sector leadership; training provision; net zero and climate change; and procurement.
The plan is being launched at the NFB’s Heritage and Traditional Build Conference at Painters’ Hall in London today (17 September). The conference brings together contractors, craftspeople, architects, conservation specialists and other stakeholders to address the skills and workforce challenges facing the sector.
James M. Butcher, NFB deputy chief executive and industry chair of the plan, said the scale of the traditional building stock made developing the workforce an urgent priority.
“With one in five homes and one in three commercial properties traditionally built, ensuring that we have a sufficient and competent workforce able to look after these buildings is essential and that is what this plan is all about,” he said.
“Whether it is repairing, maintaining, improving, renovating, restoring, retrofitting or adapting for the future, there is plenty of work to be done but not always the supply chain able to do it.”
Creating clearer routes
The plan aims to create clearer routes into heritage construction careers, strengthen specialist training and give employers a greater role in determining future skills priorities.
Among the initiatives being launched alongside the plan is an upskilling travel support pilot, which will reimburse eligible employees’ travel and accommodation costs, up to £335, when specialist training is not available locally.
A feasibility study with Historic England will also explore whether greater visibility of future heritage work could help give employers the confidence to invest in training. Other initiatives include the NFB’s National Heritage Skills Forum and the development of skills and knowledge statements for heritage and traditional building occupations.
The need for specialist skills is becoming increasingly important as the UK looks to improve the energy performance of older buildings. Historic England estimates that there are around 5.5 million traditional, pre-1919 buildings in England, while its 2024 Skills Needs Analysis examined the supply and demand for the skills required to repair, maintain and retrofit them.
CITB support
CITB is supporting the plan as part of its wider Sector Skills Plans programme, with £3.8m allocated to the RMI plan covering domestic retrofit and heritage and traditional buildings. The heritage strand is led by Butcher and brings together representatives from organisations including Historic England, the Institute of Carpenters, the Sustainable Traditional Buildings Alliance and the National Federation of Roofing Contractors.
Tim Balcon, chief executive of CITB, said the organisation was supporting the industry-led initiative to strengthen the future workforce.
“This Sector Skills Plan has been developed by the industry, for the industry, bringing together training providers, employers, and stakeholder organisations to help identify the actions that need to take place to strengthen the future of the workforce,” he said.
The NFB said the plan would remain a live programme of activity, allowing its priorities and interventions to evolve in response to changing market conditions, technologies and workforce requirements.
