Page 32 - Neath Port Talbot Skills Report 2024

Skills shortage in 4 key job roles and 3 sector challenges holding back home decarbonisation -
Energy Systems Catapult
Current Skill Requirements
Construction jobs in NPT have seen a rapid
decline since 2018 with just under a 1000 less jobs
in the sector. This decline seems to be right across
all job types within construction and not limited
to a few core occupations.
Job Posting intensity for construction roles has
intensified since 2021 especially for specialist
Engineers and this is echoed by the rapid rise in
advertised wages in the same period (up 28%).
Within the last 12 months, the most advertised
roles are:
• Engineering Technicians
• Elementary Construction Occupations
• Electricians and Electrical Fitters
• Civil Engineers
• Quality Control and Planning Engineers
• Electrical and Electronic Trades
• Estimators, Valuers and Assessors
• Construction and Building Trades
Engineers and Electrical being the most difficult to
fill for the sector
The data is quite clear, Construction urgently
require a good through flow of electricians and
engineers. This is of some concern as these are the
same transient skills Manufacturing and Energy
require.
Retrofit / Trust Mark
In the short term, there are skills gaps that need
prioritising to build a sustainable market and help
address existing latent demand, including roles in:
• Property assessment
• Advice and customer care
• Low carbon heating installation
• Technology integration
This challenge must be addressed collaboratively,
building on existing best practice, identifying gaps
and bringing together different elements of the
supply chain to create joined up solutions that will
work for customers and businesses alike
Construction
Geraldine Newton-Cross, Commercial
Director at Energy Systems Catapult,
“Decarbonising our homes is an urgent
challenge. If consumers are to welcome
changes to their heating systems at the
pace required to meet our carbon budget,
they need professionals who can hold
their hand as they retrofit their homes,
not just provide piecemeal
recommendations about favoured
technologies.”
“Consumers need support to understand
the cost and performance trade-offs of
different approaches. This requires a new
approach to be adopted across the energy
services sector – requiring new jobs and
new skills, including in digital
technologies and data – to implement
decarbonisation measures at the pace and
scale demanded.”
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