The Engineering Construction Industry Training Board (ECITB) has warned that net-zero schemes will be in direct competition with infrastructure projects for labour in the next five years.
The skills body, which covers sectors including nuclear, power generation and offshore wind, said 40,000 new engineering construction workers are needed for major projects up to 2030.
This places employers in direct competition for labour from the rest of the £531bn-worth of infrastructure projects in the UK pipeline, it said.
The latest outlook for the wider construction industry from separate body the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) predicted a need to recruit 239,300 extra workers between now and 2029.
In its new strategy document, called Leading Industry Learning, the ECITB said it aims to grow the number of new entrants joining the industry and help employers access a broader, more diverse talent pool.
Locally targeted approaches would be used to do this, such as support for the development of the Welsh, Solent and Black Country industrial decarbonisation clusters, according to the report.
ECITB chief executive Andrew Hockey added: “Achieving the outcomes from this strategy will require collaboration and commitment well beyond the ECITB alone.
“We will continue to support our employers through grant funding for mission-critical training. At the same time, we will build upon investments like our Regional Skills Hub funding to address systemic and structural challenges facing the engineering construction industry.”
The body said that it proposes to freeze its levy rates for the next three years, given the rising cost pressures faced by employers.
It is due to go to consultation on the rate in October.
A government-commissioned review by consultant Mark Farmer recommended in January that the ECITB be merged with the larger CITB.
The government has, so far, rejected the recommendation.
Leading Industry Learning said its strategy had been shaped by the findings of the Farmer review, which also called for “clear consequences” if the ITBs do not improve in areas such as addressing skills shortages in their sectors and redefining their training support.
“The message was clear: the ECITB must evolve,” the new report said.
“While the core levy and grant model remains central, we must go further – delivering more strategic, programmatic interventions that address root causes of market failures in the [engineering construction industry]. In doing so, we will build on our collaboration with the CITB, maximising our capacity to address the skills challenges that both industries face.”
The ECITB previously released a three-year strategy but said it has now moved to a five-year strategy to better align with development timelines of national infrastructure priorities.
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Ian Weinfass