SCOTLAND’S Construction Leadership Forum (CLF) has urged the construction and built environment sector to pull together to ‘radically rethink’ about how workforce and skill shortages can be addressed.
Companies working in different parts of the sector, such as housing, retrofit and infrastructure, are understood to share many of the same workforce issues and in some areas compete over the same pool of people.
The Construction Leadership Forum is working to establish a Workforce Mission; a new approach that will set out the steps to create the conditions that will bring about the necessary changes to improve collaboration and to support Scotland’s construction sector to work collectively to address shortages.
To help shape that Mission, the CLF has launched a short survey to gather industry insight.
Elaine Ellis, skills planning manager construction and net zero at Skills Development Scotland and co-chair of the CLF’s skills working group, said, “The challenge we face cannot be addressed by any single group or organisation. The collective responsibility sits firmly with employers, industry stakeholders and public sector partners. I urge those working across the construction and infrastructure sectors to get involved and help shape our future by taking part in this short survey.”
The skills working group includes representation from CIOB, CITB, Historic Environment Scotland, hub North, Mclaughlin & Harvey, RICS, Robertson Group, Skills Development Scotland, SECTT, SNIPEF and Scottish Government. There is also a wider pool of organisations connected via associated working groups.
The survey is open to all with the deadline for submissions being 31 July 2025.
