THE Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) has awarded £430,000 from its Industry Impact Fund to develop a training programme designed to accelerate timber construction in the UK.
The funding will be used to develop training content and courses to improve pathways for those entering the construction industry, as well as help upskill and re-skill existing construction workers and equip them to meet the needs of the rapidly growing timber sector. It will also help support the aims of the Timber in Construction Roadmap, a Government-Industry partnership launched earlier this year.
The funding bid was developed by a consortium of industry partners led by CITB levy-payer Donaldson Offsite. The consortium includes education institutions Edinburgh Napier University and New Model Institute for Technology and Engineering (NMITE), the construction innovation centre Built Environment – Smarter Transformation (BE-ST), along with industry bodies Structural Timber Association (STA) and Timber Development UK (TDUK).
Vanessa Freeman, head of grant and funding projects at CITB, said, “CITB is very proud to be working alongside industry partners to support the timber sector to train, develop and retain its workforce. It’s essential to encourage collaboration across the industry to tackle skills shortages, improve diversity, and future-proof the workforce.
“Timber construction is one of the fastest growing construction sectors, driven by a need for carbon reduction across the built environment. This funding will help bridge the skills gap that exists in this and other parts of the construction industry to help the timber sector achieve its potential.”
Alex Goodfellow, CEO of Donaldson Offsite and chair of the Confederation of Timber Industries (CTI), added, “We’re incredibly proud to have led this bid on behalf of the timber construction sector and deeply grateful to the CITB for their support. It’s been inspiring to see such a broad cross-section of the supply chain come together behind this initiative — a clear demonstration of how important timber construction is to the future of our industry.
“Meeting the UK Government’s ambition for sustainable housing will only be possible if we tackle the growing skills gap. The way to do that is through real investment in people — by improving training, strengthening education, and creating clearer pathways into timber construction.
“This project has the potential to make a lasting impact. By establishing a joined-up approach to skills development across the sector, we can build a more competent, confident and competitive workforce — one that’s ready to deliver the sustainable homes our country needs.”
The project, which will run for two years, will understand the gaps industry is experiencing around existing learning materials and delivery. From this analysis, the aim is to develop robust, effective accredited courses, whilst creating clear career pathways to upskill and reskill the workforce, focusing on the management and on-site delivery of offsite manufactured modern methods of construction (MMC) using structural timber.
Professor Robert Hairstans, of Edinburgh Napier and NMITE who chairs the Timber in Construction Skills Group, said, “This project has been developed hand in hand with the sector and its agencies to ensure it aligns with industry need. The ambition is to create a scalable and sustainable model that integrates timber construction training into the national education system, ensuring the industry can meet future demands. If we are to have the scale of impact required, we need to work collaboratively and quickly to expand what works and implement what doesn’t exist. By creating pathways for people to progress and providing educational content which is practical and flexible we can enable a more diverse workforce which is future ready.”
If you’d like to register your interest in the upcoming training programme, click here.
