RICS contributes to City of London “Skyline Skills” report

The City of London’s Skills for Sustainable Skyline Taskforce has published a report into the challenges facing a more sustainable commercial built environment sector in central London. RICS contributed insight to the taskforce which highlights the need to upskill and train new workers to deliver sustainability objectives. The report notes the significant contribution that buildings make to greenhouse gas emissions in London and the rise of ESG and regulation in creating the need for action.

There are six high level recommendations in the report with more detail for individual stakeholders:

• Create an easily accessible way to collect and share data on upcoming developments and retrofit activities within Central London so that the sector can better quantify workforce skills shortages needed to undertake the work.
• The sector should have senior-level accountability for sustainability and skills training.
• Develop sustainability training, apprenticeships, and upskilling courses for emerging job roles by actively engaging and collaborating with IfATE and training providers.
• 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 (currently being reviewed by Parliament), and reforming the Apprenticeship Levy.
• Invest in attracting diverse candidates to a wider spectrum of sustainable roles across the built environment.
• Engage with schools and colleges as well as generate positive PR to better promote the sector’s role in addressing climate change and its wide-ranging career pathways.

The report concludes there is a clear business case for sustained investment in upskilling, diversifying and expanding the built environment workforce to meet sustainability goals in Central London. RICS members are being increasingly recognised as critical to the retrofit agenda and the decarbonisation of the built environment. This skills report builds on the work RICS is engaged with across the UK and devolved administrations to develop the next generation of professionals and meet net zero targets.