Closing the Green Skills Gap in Construction: How the Housing Sector is Tackling Net Zero Challenges in the US and UK
As the global response to climate change intensifies, the construction industry, being one of the largest sources of carbon emissions, has become a crucial player in driving the green transition and achieving net-zero targets.
In both Europe and North America, governments are under increasing pressure to balance the ever-growing demand for housing with the urgent need to reduce carbon footprints. As such, the development of "green skills" within the construction sector—particularly in social housing—has become an immediate priority.
In the UK, the challenge of acquiring and developing green skills within the housing sector has been exacerbated by government policies aimed at reducing carbon emissions. As the country strives toward a legally binding target of achieving net zero by 2050, the social housing sector faces a monumental task in upgrading its buildings to meet energy performance targets, including a mandatory "C" rating for all homes by 2030. These efforts are vital in meeting national decarbonization goals.
Yet, while the technical knowledge of how to upgrade existing housing stock is somewhat understood, the real difficulty lies in the application of this knowledge, particularly when it comes to social housing, which consists of millions of homes built to varying standards, with inconsistent levels of maintenance over the years.
A roundtable meeting held in June 2025, organized by the Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB) and the Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH), brought together experts and representatives from the social housing sector to discuss the growing green skills gap.
The conversation was rooted in the anticipation of the 2030 deadline, with social housing providers already struggling to meet the rising demand for skilled workers capable of performing retrofits that would bring homes up to energy-efficient standards. A critical shortage of workers equipped with the right skills—particularly in energy efficiency and retrofit—has become a pressing concern.
This skills gap is not unique to the UK. In the US, the construction industry is experiencing a similar shortage of qualified workers, especially in the realm of green building and energy-efficient retrofitting. According to a 2023 study by the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), the shortage of qualified professionals in the building sector has reached crisis levels.
The growing need for energy-efficient homes and green retrofits is further exacerbating this issue, as construction companies are finding it increasingly difficult to recruit workers with the necessary green skills.
In response to these challenges, both the UK and US have taken several steps to address the green skills shortage. In the UK, for example, the British Standards Institute published PAS 2035 in 2019, which set guidelines for retrofitting residential buildings to improve energy efficiency.
The document advocates for a "fabric-first" approach to retrofit, emphasizing the importance of passive energy-saving measures like better insulation and windows before active solutions. Despite this, the interpretation and implementation of PAS 2035 remain a challenge for many social housing providers.
In addition, the UK government has launched several initiatives to bridge the green skills gap. The Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund (SHDF) launched in 2020 has already helped fund over 60,000 energy efficiency measures in more than 30,000 homes, with additional waves of funding on the horizon.
More recently, the government announced a new £600 million fund aimed at boosting construction skills, which will play a key role in meeting net-zero targets.
However, as experts at the roundtable pointed out, technical standards alone are not enough. The real problem lies in the lack of hands-on experience and an in-depth understanding of the specific challenges posed by social housing.
Retrofit coordinators (RCs), key figures in any retrofit project, are expected to manage complex interactions between technical requirements, business needs, procurement, stakeholder engagement, and design management. Yet, there is a notable lack of competency in these areas. This gap is particularly evident when newly qualified individuals, despite holding retrofit-related certifications, struggle to handle the real-world complexities of social housing retrofit projects.
In response, the UK is focusing on upskilling existing construction professionals who already have experience in the field. Many delegates at the roundtable expressed confidence that building surveyors, quantity surveyors, and stock appraisal surveyors could be prime candidates for training as retrofit coordinators. However, there is an overarching concern that self-accredited internal training programs, while helpful, are insufficient to meet the growing demand for retrofitting skills at scale.
Efforts are underway to standardize retrofit training and qualifications. The Construction Leadership Council's 2024 "Roadmap of Skills for Net Zero" outlines the necessary competencies for domestic retrofitting, and the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) is working to establish pathways to competence for numerous net-zero roles.
Similarly, the Retrofit Standards Task Force is developing an occupational standard for retrofit coordinators, while the National Retrofit Hub has launched a number of initiatives aimed at increasing the green skills workforce, including creating clear qualification pathways and promoting a national strategy for workforce growth.
The US is also taking steps to mitigate the skills shortage in the green building sector. In 2023, the Department of Energy launched the Clean Energy Jobs Program, which seeks to provide training to workers in green construction, focusing on energy efficiency, sustainable materials, and carbon-reducing technologies.
Additionally, companies such as the Green Building Council in California are working closely with local governments to promote sustainable construction practices and provide training to workers.
Both the UK and US have recognized the importance of addressing construction's image problem. In the UK, social housing providers are actively engaging with their contractors to help them navigate the complexities of PAS 2035 and PAS 2030 certifications. These efforts aim to ensure that contractors are better prepared for the challenges posed by green retrofitting.
In the US, the construction industry is working to improve its reputation, particularly among younger generations. Initiatives like school outreach programs, apprenticeships, and flexible training pathways are designed to make construction a more attractive career option for young people, particularly those interested in sustainability.
A recurring theme at the roundtable was the need to engage mid-career professionals who are looking to retrain in the green sector. With flexible, accessible training programs, this group could significantly contribute to filling the green skills gap. Furthermore, providing on-the-job training and incorporating green skills into existing vocational programs can also help ease the transition for workers seeking to move into energy-efficient building roles.
Despite the challenges, there is a growing sense of urgency within the construction industry to close the green skills gap. Whether through improving training pathways, standardizing certifications, or boosting investment in green construction, both the UK and US are making significant strides toward ensuring that the workforce is ready to meet the net-zero challenges of the future.
In the end, the green skills gap is not just a technical problem—it is a societal one. It is about ensuring that social housing providers and construction companies have the capacity to meet the evolving demands of the sector while also addressing the broader climate emergency.
With greater collaboration between governments, businesses, and educational institutions, there is hope that these challenges will be overcome and that the construction industry will play a central role in achieving global sustainability goals. The key lies in providing a roadmap to sustainable, green skills that can propel the industry into a future defined by carbon-neutral buildings and a thriving green workforce.