Building Connections: Shaping the Future of Scotland’s Built Environment

This blog provides an update on the Skills Investment Plan (SIP) delivery. It has been co-authored by the SIP delivery sub group with a remit for Architecture, Engineering, Planning and Surveying, which is made up of representatives from Built Environment Forum Scotland, the Chartered Institute of Building, the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, and the Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland. 

This Is What We Heard 

In October last year as part of BE-ST FEST, representatives from across the Built Environment sector came together to discuss how we could maximise opportunities and better address the challenges the sector faces by working together – a priority identified in the Skills Investment Plan for the Historic Environment.  

The event, developed through a partnership between Built Environment Forum Scotland, the Chartered Institute of Building, Historic Environment Scotland, the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, and the Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland – with support from trade bodies and other built environment organisations – brought together guests from across the sector  including trades, professional bodies, academia, charities and government, who face the same pressures but may not often share the same room, to explore where there is consensus. 

One message was clear:

If we continue as we are, we will not be where we need to be. Change is essential – and everyone has a role in making it happen. 

What We Heard: The Challenges Facing the Sector 

Participants shared a wide range of concerns about Scotland’s built environment skills pipeline. These challenges reflect systemic issues  -not isolated challenges -and affect the sector from entry‑level recruitment to long‑term workforce sustainability 

Key challenges highlighted include: 

• A complex and fragmented skills system, with duplicated routes and unclear progression pathways. 

• Unstable and inconsistent funding, with essential courses such as tiling, stonemasonry and building surveying disappearing from local provision. 

• Limited access to quality entry‑level opportunities for those seeking to join the sector. 

• Procurement practices that prioritise the lowest cost over quality, undermining investment in skills and workforce development. 

• SMEs carrying disproportionate responsibility for training despite facing the highest financial and administrative burdens. 

• Cultural challenges, including outdated workplace behaviours, a lack of well‑being support, and a negative public image that puts off potential new entrants. 

• Retrofit a major national priority, does not fit neatly within existing trade structures, leaving a mismatch between need and training routes. 

• Inconsistent training provision between regions, worsened by barriers such as summer college closures or restrictions on simulated assessment. 

What We Heard: Opportunities for Positive Change 

Despite the challenges, the discussion highlighted a strong sense of optimism. Participants proposed practical, actionable changes that can be delivered only through collaboration across employers, training providers, trades associations, professional bodies, skills agencies and Government. 

Opportunities identified included:

• Reforming procurement so that quality, competence and training commitments are core requirements, not optional extras. 

• Modernising apprenticeships and introducing modular and stackable learning pathways, while ensuring a place for essential trade‑specific content. 

• Guaranteeing parity of funding across training providers, while reducing bureaucracy to help SMEs participate fully. 

• Treating worksites as live learning environments, supporting real‑world training across trades and professions. 

• Taking a holistic built environment approach, helping people develop broad understanding earlier in their careers. 

• Establishing a Ministerial Oversight Group on Retrofit, bringing together relevant government portfolios to drive a coordinated national approach. 

• Using better data—including a state‑of‑skills survey—to target investment where it is most needed. 

• Inspiring the next generation by bringing industry professionals into schools. 

• Developing joint training programmes across trades and professions. 

• Mapping the current system to identify and address structural blockages. 

These proposals underscore a shared recognition that no single organisation can address these challenges alone — but that, collectively, the sector can unlock meaningful change. 

This Is Just the Start 

The discussions held were an important step, but they represent only the beginning of a broader collaborative effort. Over the coming months, partners across the sector will work together to: 

• Publish a collective statement that unifies the sector’s commitment and asks of others. You can view a draft and add your organisation to the signatories here. 

• Explore opportunities for joint training and alignment or skills development across trades and professions. 

• Collaborate on data and shared messaging to strengthen evidence‑based policy development. 

• Build more cohesive working relationships across government departments, reflecting the cross‑cutting nature of built environment challenges. 

A Shared Vision for Scotland’s Future 

Scotland’s future depends on a built environment workforce that is skilled, adaptable and resilient. The challenges are complex, but the commitment demonstrated across the sector shows that progress is possible – and already underway. 

You can find the draft collective statement here and add your organisation to the list of signatories here. The statement will be published at the end of May.

Please contact a member of the BEFS team with any enquiries.

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