Essential skillsets to drive decarbonisation in the housing sector

In June 2019, the UK government became the first major global economy in the world to pass an official law requiring a transition to net carbon zero by 2050. The housing sector is a high priority sector in this collective strategy, given carbon emissions for housing make up 14 percent of the UK’s total carbon footprint. But how is the industry working toward this ambitious target, and what skillsets will its professionals need to ensure success? Here, we explore all this and more.

The ‘carbon zero’ challenge

Research carried out by Inside Housing in late 2020 discovered that the industry cost of becoming net carbon zero could be upwards of £104 billion (between £25,000 to £50,000 per home), meaning that it will be more expensive for this sector to deliver against its target than many others. Furthermore, new requirements stipulating that all new homes must be ‘net carbon ready’ by 2025 will require carbon emissions to fall by 75-80 percent, but do not entail retrofitting of homes with additional measures or technologies. There is also the challenge of dealing with the substantial existing stock for landlords which includes a wide variety of properties all over the UK, built in different periods and design.  

What skillsets does the sector need?

So, how will landlords pay for this? And just as importantly, how will they ensure they have people with the ability to deliver against these objectives? Given the skills shortage already facing the sector, this latter point is hugely important. One major positive result of the push for net carbon zero by 2050, aside from the strong environmental and ethical concerns, will be an increase in investment and innovation both from landlords and the wider supply chain. This will require different skills, backgrounds, qualifications, and training courses, as well as drive job generation at all levels.
 
The Construction Industry Training Board (CIBT) recently used data from the Climate Change Committee (CCC) to model the workforce skills profile necessary to deliver net zero. It showed that by 2028, additional decarbonisation work will have created demand for 86,000 construction project managers, 33,000 building envelope specialists, and 59,000 plumbers. 

But with this increased demand for new skills, how will the property and construction sector ensure it can source and develop them? One critical step will be the creation of a specific ‘carbon net zero’ curriculum throughout schools, further education, and higher education, as well as training for teachers and tutors. Critical to this will be the widespread provision of apprenticeships and vocational courses to attract, develop and retain talent for the industry in the long term. Plans are already in place for this, but it may take five to ten years before the benefits become visible.

Immediate industry action points 

So, what about the skills needed right now? Many existing courses focus on new build construction techniques, as opposed to existing buildings and retrofit schemes. It is the latter that will be the major focus of the net carbon zero targets, even by 2050. Therefore, those in design, surveying, project management or general building roles must receive the necessary education on all aspects of retrofit best practice through courses delivered by external bodies or their employers.
 
Innovations such as digital construction and offsite fabrication will also be front and centre. Moreover, to hit the targets laid out above, there will need to be a shift in focus from standard building techniques to retrofit and modular homes. This will inevitably change the demand, structure and composition of the job families within the construction sector. At PageGroup, we have already seen many candidates transferring away from manufacturing and engineering toward construction environments, particularly housing, given the push towards net carbon zero. This exciting shift will open doors for top talent and create a wider candidate pool. It will also ensure that employers prioritise flexibility in the skillsets they hire for, a topic we discuss in depth.
 
Property and Construction is a truly exciting place to be right now, with many challenges and many more opportunities for top candidates. If you are looking for your next role in the sector, you can submit your CV. Or, browse our job board.