In the quest to achieve net-zero targets, the construction industry faces a unique challenge—the urgent need to bridge the green skills gap. Amanda Williams, the Head of Environmental Sustainability at the Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB), sheds light on this critical issue. Her insights underscore the importance of embedding sustainability competencies into every role within the sector, not just specialised green jobs. Drawing on her extensive experience, Amanda shares how the construction industry can cultivate a workforce capable of building a greener future.

From her early years growing up on a family farm to her career spanning academia, corporate roles, and policy work, Amanda’s journey reflects a lifelong commitment to environmental stewardship. Her role at CIOB allows her to drive change on an industry-wide level, providing her with what she calls “an enormous potential impact” through CIOB’s network of 50,000 professionals globally. She is passionate about ensuring that the construction sector remains resilient, sustainable, and inclusive, urging everyone within the industry to engage in sustainability efforts.

The Green Skills Gap: More Than Just Green Jobs

For Amanda, the green skills gap extends far beyond the creation of specialised roles such as retrofit coordinators or biodiversity specialists. She argues that true sustainability in construction will only be achieved when green skills are embedded across all roles in the industry.

“Sustainability needs to be in everyone’s job description, not just reserved for specialists,”

Amanda emphasises .

The challenge, as Amanda explains, is twofold. First, the industry faces a shortage of workers with the necessary technical skills to perform green jobs. Second, there is a need for individuals in traditional roles—plumbers, electricians, builders, and project managers—to develop competencies in sustainable practices. “We also need people in existing trades to have those green skills as well,” Amanda notes, explaining that these workers will need new skills and knowledge to adapt to sustainable materials, modern construction methods, and energy-efficient retrofitting .

Breaking Down the Barriers to Sustainability Skills

Amanda identifies several barriers that have contributed to the green skills gap, particularly within construction. These include insufficient investment in green skills training, a lack of awareness and interest in green jobs, and misconceptions about the industry. Additionally, Amanda points to a cultural challenge: many workers feel that green skills are not relevant to their current roles. Changing this mindset, she believes, is essential.

“Underinvestment in green skills has held the industry back,” Amanda asserts. Many educational institutions and training programmes have been slow to prioritise sustainability education, and industry recruiters often overlook green skills in their hiring criteria. As Amanda puts it,

“we can’t rely on sustainability practitioners to solve this for us operating in silos; it has to be embedded in everything we do, in all our processes, and in everybody’s roles” .

Flexible and Accessible Training for a Diverse Workforce

Amanda advocates for a collaborative approach to closing the green skills gap, calling on the government, educational institutions, and industry stakeholders to support flexible training solutions. One proposal she highlights is a government-funded “Green Skills Fund” that would make training more accessible and affordable. Such a fund, Amanda explains, could cover apprenticeships, upskilling for existing workers, and new green certifications.

Amanda envisions a training ecosystem that accommodates different learning styles and schedules, with options ranging from virtual classes and on-the-job training to flexible, hands-on learning experiences. “We need to think about…scaling up capacity, but also making training accessible to people in existing trades, not just new entrants,” Amanda explains, underscoring the importance of reaching those already in full-time roles who may want to add green skills to their repertoire .

She also believes that industry leaders should partner with professional institutions, such as CIOB, to integrate green competencies into ongoing professional development. As Amanda notes, membership in a professional institution like the Institute of Environmental Management and Assessment has been instrumental in her own career progression, offering both technical training and the opportunity to build transferable skills like critical thinking and leadership.

Empowering the Workforce to Tackle Real-World Sustainability Challenges

Amanda’s role at CIOB allows her to influence sustainability across the construction industry in a way she has not experienced in previous roles. Unlike her former positions, where she focused on reducing the environmental impact of a single organisation, her current role emphasises industry-wide change. She collaborates with CIOB’s various directorates, including membership, communications, and policy teams, to support professionals in integrating sustainability into their work.

Through CIOB’s Continuing Professional Development (CPD) offerings, Amanda and her team provide industry members with resources and training to help them navigate the green transition. “Our members are working in all corners of the built environment,” she explains, noting that the organisation’s broad reach enables it to drive change on a large scale. “The potential impact is huge,” Amanda says, expressing her commitment to ensuring that sustainability becomes a central consideration in every aspect of the industry  .

The Social Responsibility of the Construction Industry

A recurring theme in Amanda’s insights is the idea of social responsibility within the construction industry. For Amanda, bridging the green skills gap offers an opportunity not only to meet net-zero targets but also to foster a “just transition” for workers transitioning from high-carbon industries, such as oil and gas. “The construction industry could be a receiver industry for those workers, which would help close the skills gap and secure a just transition,” she remarks .

Amanda also highlights the need to address the gender gap and broader diversity issues within the sustainability and construction sectors. She points out that the industry has traditionally struggled with an “image problem,” which has deterred many young people, particularly women, from considering careers in construction.

“There is a shortage of women interested in green-skilled jobs within the built environment,”

she notes, adding that a key solution lies in rebranding green skills as universal skills relevant to all roles and industries.

From Technical Skills to Systems Thinking: A Holistic Approach to Sustainability

Beyond technical training, Amanda stresses the importance of what she calls “systems thinking” in sustainability. She believes that addressing the green skills gap will require construction professionals to develop a holistic understanding of how their roles fit into the broader environmental picture. This type of thinking, she explains, will help the industry avoid unintended consequences, such as those that arise when a poorly planned retrofit inadvertently causes moisture damage to older buildings.

Amanda believes that systems thinking should be central to any green skills training, enabling professionals to look beyond the immediate tasks at hand and consider the long-term impacts of their work. “Sustainability issues are complex and cut across disciplines,” she remarks, “and systems thinking helps us look at the big picture” .

A Call to Action: Closing the Green Skills Gap

For Amanda, closing the green skills gap is not just about upskilling individuals; it’s about transforming the construction sector into a sustainable and resilient industry. She believes that industry leaders, educational institutions, and government entities must work together to build a pipeline of green talent. “We need to acknowledge just how critical it is that we address it,” she says, highlighting the urgency of training skilled professionals to retrofit existing buildings and meet climate goals.

The construction industry, responsible for nearly 40% of global emissions, plays a pivotal role in the green transition. As Amanda points out, 80% of the buildings used today will still be in use by 2050, making retrofitting essential to achieving net-zero targets.

“Failure to deliver a large-scale programme of retrofit for existing buildings is going to put net-zero targets at risk,”

she warns, underscoring the high stakes involved .

Amanda’s message is clear: sustainability in construction is not optional. The industry must act swiftly to develop green skills across the board, empowering every worker to contribute to a sustainable future. “It’s not just a huge challenge; it’s also an opportunity,” she concludes, calling on everyone within the construction industry to embrace sustainability as a collective responsibility.

Final Reflections: A Vision for the Future

Reflecting on her career, Amanda expresses both hope and urgency for the future of sustainability in construction. Her vision is one where green skills are woven into the fabric of the industry, allowing construction professionals to make a positive impact on the environment. “I hope that by the end of my career, I’ll see a genuine shift—a built environment that values sustainability as core to every role,” she shares, adding that every small step contributes to a larger movement towards a greener future .

Amanda’s insights serve as a rallying call for the construction industry to build a resilient, sustainable, and inclusive workforce equipped to tackle the complex challenges of the 21st century. Through her work at CIOB, she is paving the way for a future where green skills are no longer a speciality, but a standard across the industry.