Heritage skills plan sets framework for workforce action

Conference launch

The National Federation of Builders’ Heritage and Traditional Build conference on 17 September 2026 is the launch event for the plan, according to Roofing Today. The venue is Painters’ Hall, a 16th-century building. Employers, training providers and industry organisations are attending to discuss workforce needs across the UK’s historic built environment.

The federation developed the Repair, Maintenance and Improvement (Heritage and Traditional Build) Sector Skills Plan with contributions from businesses, education providers, industry groups and heritage organisations. It identifies five priorities for joint action. These concern routes into heritage construction careers, alongside employers’ difficulties in developing the technical capabilities needed for conservation and restoration.

The scale of the work

James M. Butcher, the NFB’s deputy chief executive and the plan’s industry chair, said traditionally built properties account for one in five homes and one in three commercial premises. He linked the need for a competent workforce to the number of buildings requiring care, rather than to conservation projects alone.

Butcher described a workload extending from routine maintenance and repairs to renovation, retrofit and adaptation. He said the supply chain did not always have the capacity to undertake that work. His call for action covered the wider industry, with the plan providing a framework for tackling the skills problems affecting this part of construction.

A programme employers can shape

The heritage plan sits within a wider CITB programme addressing construction workforce challenges. Three sector plans preceded it, covering homebuilding, infrastructure and domestic retrofit within repair, maintenance and improvement. The latest addition focuses on retaining the specialist capabilities needed to look after historic buildings, together with the training provision and leadership required to support that workforce.

The programme is intended to change over time rather than remain a fixed set of priorities. Employers are expected to continue influencing its direction as market conditions, technology and workforce requirements develop, Roofing Today reported. Its stated purpose covers both existing demand and the skills the sector will need in future.