Page 17 - Swansea Skills Report 2024

Lightcast™
. 2023
Leading the switch to net zero industry: new £20 million facility to help develop a green economy in Wales - Swansea University
• Homes as Power Stations
• Centres of Excellence FLEXIS
• Smart Low Carbon Town
• Street lighting
• Metro
• Retrofits - Domestic / Commercial
• Town Centre Regeneration
The skills required for these projects are extensive
and will require a large upskill process from
traditional building practices to newer sustainable
processes that effect the planning, consenting,
building, supply chain and ongoing maintenance.
Construction jobs in the region have increased by
7% since 2019 (Figure 1) this could be an impact of
SBCD projects, however Plumbing and Electrical
jobs are in large decline
It is estimated by 2028 for retrofit alone, an
additional 12,000 jobs will be needed in Wales to
achieve the ambitious retrofit programme. With
around 62,000 households within the county,
Swansea will require the current workforce to upskill
and attract new people to the sector which
currently employs around 5,000 people with around
17.5% of these due to retire in the next 10 years.
Combine this with the construction skills needed for
all the strategic projects, construction skills will be
vital.
Job postings for construction trades have been
steadily increasing since 2018 and this mirrors a
6.2% increase in advertised wages since 2020
The requirement is not just for skilled trades.
Civil engineers, planning, procurement
architects etc will all be required due to the
county currently having very low levels of
current jobs attributed to these roles.
The above analysis is taken from current job
roles; however, Trust Mark and Homes as
Power Stations will need new skills such as:
• Trust Mark (retrofit) assessors
• PAS accreditation
• Construction methods sustainability
• Smart sensor technology
• Green walls and buildings
• Sustainable materials
• Supply chain sustainability
• Environmental and ecological assessment
Upskilling is key for the Small and Micro businesses in
the county, courses must be accessible and easy for
employers to release staff to complete. Employers
need to be encouraged to take up these upskilling
opportunities.
Climate Change and Nature Strategy -
“There were just 60,000 heat pumps installed in
the UK last year, making it one of the slowest
adopters of this new technology in Europe.
At current rates of installation, it will take more
than 400 years before every British home has a
heat pump.
The UK only has 4,000 trained heat-pump
installers - it is estimated we will need 27,000 by
2028”
The heat pump installer gap | Nesta
Figure 1:
CONSTRUCTION
Construction Trades roles trend - Swansea
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