EBSSA welcomes launch of Construction Skills Mission Board
The Engineering & Building Skills Authority (EBSSA) has welcomed the launch of the Construction Skills Mission Board (CSMB). Building services are represented by T Clarke CEO Mark Lawrence, who will be supported on this work by Actuate UK member ECA and EBSSA.
Engineering and building services cover the mechanical, electrotechnical and plumbing elements of buildings and infrastructure, representing 40% of the construction value of buildings and 80% of their whole-life value. Moreover, while currently accounting for 20% of the built environment workforce, they represent 50% of apprentice starts under the IfATE (now Skills England) Construction and Build Environment Route. As such, they are essential in meeting the government’s new homes targets, as well as retrofitting and maintaining current building stock to meet safety and Net Zero efficiency standard.
CSMB has been established by the Construction Leadership Council alongside government. EBSSA will provide analysis of the sector skills demand and supply and utilise this evidence to ensure that the Board’s interventions are appropriate and will support the closing of skills shortage gaps.
Andrew Eldred, Deputy CEO at ECA and co-Chair of Actuate UK’s Skills group, said:
“The Construction Skills Mission Board is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to focus minds on how, working together, we can overcome longstanding barriers to improved workforce skills outcomes in the built environment. The proof of the pudding will inevitably take time to emerge, but by recognising the value of input from both industry leaders and broad based, sector-led organisations such as ECA and EBSSA, the Mission Board is already in a stronger place than its predecessors, and this constitutes a positive first step.”
