The City of London Corporation’s Skills for a Sustainable Skyline Taskforce has released its highly anticipated Skyline Skills Recommendations Report.
The report draws attention to the green skills gap facing the built environment sector as it seeks to reduce emissions from its commercial buildings and meet net zero targets. The research highlights the need for a skilled and diverse workforce capable of constructing, retrofitting and managing sustainable buildings.
Commenting on the launch, Charles Begley, CPA Chief Executive and Deputy Chair of the Taskforce said: “The industry has taken huge steps to reduce carbon emissions from commercial buildings but there is more to do if we are to meet London’s ambitious net zero target. CPA has been proud to work with the City of London Corporation on this report, which sets out clear recommendations that will ensure we can meet the growing demand for green jobs and skills required to deliver a net zero city“.
Six key recommendations highlighted in the report include:
The planning pipeline – Create an easily accessible way to collect and share data on upcoming developments and retrofit activities within central London. This will enable the sector to better quantify workforce skills shortages needed to undertake the work.
Industry accountability – Accountability from senior leadership teams is necessary for sustainable and skills based training to be prioritised. Organisations should develop targeted strategies to encourage sustainable design and retrofit solutions alongside working with clients and tenants to efficiently run operations.
Training and apprenticeships – Develop sustainability training, apprenticeships and upskilling courses for emerging job roles by actively engaging and collaborating with IfATE and training providers.
Policies for a skilled workforce – Work with government to set more ambitious green skills legislation for the built environment. This can include exploring ways to reform Section 106 policies, playing an active role in shaping the Procurement Bill and reforming the Apprenticeship Levy.
Diversity and culture – Invest in attracting diverse candidates to a wider spectrum of sustainable roles across the built environment. Achieving this will involve collecting diversity data, setting targets and strategies and taking action to reform organisational cultures so that they are fair and inclusive.
Promotion and engagement – Engage with schools and colleges as well as generate positive PR surrounding the industry’s image to better promote the sector’s role in addressing climate change and its wide-ranging career pathways.
Read and download the full report
