EBSSA publishes Strategic Skills Plan
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.
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% of construction project value, up to 50% of ongoing maintenance costs, and employs half a million people.
The plan exposes ongoing skills challenges with over 50% hard-to-fill vacancies and declining apprenticeship starts, and warns that, if action is 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.
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.”
