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The Engineering and Building Services Skills Alliance (EBSSA) has published its strategic Sector Skills Plan, as part of the work undertaken by the Construction Mission Skills Board. The EBSSA claims this is the first industry-led comprehensive skills plan for one of the most economically significant parts of the built environment sector; an industry that accounts for 40-60 per cent of construction project value, up to 50 per cent of ongoing maintenance costs, and employs half a million people.
The plan exposes ongoing skills challenges with over 50 per cent hard-to-fill vacancies and declining apprenticeship starts, and warns that, if action not taken, these skills issues will persist and threaten future capacity to deliver on the Government’s housing and infrastructure targets, as well as the transition to net zero.
This strategic skills plan was created with input from Engineering & Building Services (E&BS) trade bodies, awarding organisations, skills partnerships and training providers. It combines government and industry data analysis to highlight the sector’s skills needs and gaps. It also summarises the sector’s strengths, existing good practice and spotlights the business environment within which many SMEs operate in the sector.
The plan makes 10 recommendations for industry and Government – the current focus for action is for England but there is recognition these actions will need to be considered in a UK-wide context. The first recommendations are to formally recognise EBSSA as the representative body for the Engineering & Building Services sector for input on skills policy and workforce planning, supported by a sector-led Labour Market evidence base.
- Formally Recognise EBSSA: As the lead vehicle for convening E&BS input into skills policy design and workforce planning.
- Use Sector-Led Labour Market Intelligence: Work with EBSSA and its members to maximise the benefits of sector-specific data and analysis.
- Support SMEs: Boost financial incentives and practical support to help small businesses recruit, train, and retain workers.
- Strengthen Skills Requirements in Contracts: Include effective skills and employment targets in public and private sector contracts.
- Review Worker Status: Align employment rights reforms with tax and NI reform to reduce reliance on casual labour and encourage investment in training.
- Protect and Expand Industry-Recognised Training Routes: Work with EBSSA to safeguard and grow industry-valued apprenticeships, NVQs, and experienced worker assessment routes.
- Reprioritise Adult Upskilling: Improve funding and access to adult NVQ and experienced worker assessment routes.
- Develop a National Installer Skills Matrix: Clarify and rationalise skills requirements for energy efficiency and low-carbon technologies.
- Boost Tutor and Assessor Capacity: Recruit and retain more qualified staff to deliver high quality industry-recognised training.
- Improve Progression Rates from Classroom-Based Courses: Prioritise learners moving from classroom courses into industry-recognised training.
Mark Lawrence, CEO of T Clarke and industry representative for E&BS on the Construction Skills Mission Board said: “Engineering and building services are an integral part of any construction or maintenance project, and we need to ensure a pipeline of skilled and competent people to carry out such work to the best of our abilities.
“The plan explains the challenges our businesses face to achieve this and articulates why solutions should be tailored to achieve results and maximise government and industry investment.”
Mark Reynolds CBE, Mace’s Group Executive Chairman, Co-Chair of the Construction Leadership Council and Chair of Construction Skills Mission Board (CSMB) welcomed the plan. He said: “The EBSSA sector skills plan is a valuable addition to the work of the CSMB as it provides evidence-based analysis of skills issues in the Engineering & Building Services sector and proposes ways forward to address them collectively as an industry.
“We are looking forward to working with Mark Lawrence and EBSSA colleagues on next steps and contributing to the delivery of the CSMB objectives and targets.”
Chair of skills group at Actuate UK and BESA’s Director of Competence & Compliance Jill Nicholls added: “With this plan we now have a unique opportunity to present a collective voice as a sector to Government, regional authorities and local skills partnerships and to maximise our efforts, remove barriers for our sector to train, upskill and plan a workforce for the future, worthy of our aspirations for a better, safer and energy efficient built environment.”
