The Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) has awarded £430,000 from its flagship Industry Impact Fund to develop a comprehensive training program aimed at rapidly accelerating timber construction skills across the UK.

The funding will be used to create new courses, content, and clear career pathways to upskill and re-skill existing construction workers, equipping them to manage and deliver offsite manufactured Modern Methods of Construction (MMC) using structural timber. This is vital for meeting both the UK Government's housing targets and the industry's net-zero carbon built environment goals.

The bid was developed by a consortium of industry partners led by CITB Levy-payer Donaldson Offsite. The consortium includes Scottish education and innovation heavyweights: Edinburgh Napier University and the construction innovation centre Built Environment - Smarter Transformation (BE-ST).

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Alex Goodfellow, CEO of Donaldson Offsite, emphasised the project's necessity: "Meeting the UK Government's ambition for sustainable housing will only be possible if we tackle the growing skills gap... By establishing a joined-up approach to skills development across the sector, we can build a more competent, confident and competitive workforce."

The two-year project, starting in October 2025, will first conduct a gap analysis of existing learning materials before developing robust, accredited courses. These courses will be aligned with professional standards, including the Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB) competence framework and the Timber Development UK (TDUK) Skills Action Plan.

Vanessa Freeman, Head of Grant and Funding Projects at CITB, highlighted the sector's growth: "Timber construction is one of the fastest growing construction sectors, driven by a need for carbon reduction across the built environment. This funding will help bridge the skills gap... to help the timber sector achieve its potential."

The project's goal is to create a scalable and sustainable model that integrates timber construction training into the national education system, with new courses scaling up timber MMC delivery via regional training centres, colleges, and universities across the consortium's network.

If you'd like to register your interest in the upcoming training programme, visit: www.be-st.build/timber-in-construction-skills