Skills and training: ‘Imperative for the future of the construction industry’
Northern Ireland’s construction industry is entering a period of sustained expansion alongside significant structural change, writes Barry Neilson, Chief Executive of CITB NI.
Demand for housing, infrastructure, and a net zero built environment continues to grow, while the sector must also respond to persistent skills shortages, Government budgets, an ageing workforce, and the increasing adoption of digital technologies.
At CITB NI, our focus is on ensuring the industry is not only equipped to meet these challenges, but actively shaping a stronger, more resilient and sustainable future. The CITB NI Levy remains central to this, ensuring industry investment is reinvested directly into skills, training, and long-term workforce planning.
Recent labour market intelligence from the Construction Workforce Outlook 2026–2030 for Northern Ireland highlights both opportunity and urgency. Construction output is forecast to grow by an average of 1.9 per cent annually, broadly in line with the UK outlook. This growth will require an additional 5,200 workers between 2026 and 2030, equivalent to around 1,040 workers each year.
The report also shows that the private non-housing sector is expected to grow fastest, expanding by an average of 5.1 per cent per year, while the Northern Ireland construction workforce is forecast to increase to 73,100 by 2030. Demand will be particularly strong in leadership, coordination, and delivery roles.
These figures highlight that growth is coming, but it will only be realised if the sector continues to invest in skills, training, and workforce development at scale.
CITB NI aims to meet this need by supporting key training initiatives and encouraging the continued development of a skilled workforce capable of meeting the evolving demands of the industry
CITB NI registered employers are being urged to make full use of available skills support as demand for a trained workforce continues to grow. CITB NI provides a £2.2 million training grant scheme designed to help businesses invest in workforce development, with funding available across a wide range of roles and skill levels. The training grant funds are easy to claim, with employers encouraged to claim online via the website.
CITB NI continues to work with employers, government, and education providers to strengthen the pipeline into construction. This includes early engagement in schools, targeted outreach to career changers, and widening access through non-traditional entry routes.
Programmes such as Build Your Career – A Future in Construction, Construction Bootcamps, the Adopt a School initiative, and the Construction Ambassador network are helping to reposition the sector as modern, innovative, and full of opportunity.
Skills academies, developed with employers, are already demonstrating the value of industry-led training. By aligning practical learning with real workforce needs, they are improving job readiness and ensuring new entrants can contribute from day one.
Alongside this, heritage skills initiatives such as the Future for Thatch project, supported by The National Lottery Heritage Fund, are helping preserve traditional crafts while opening additional entry routes into the sector.
The outlook is clear, opportunity is growing, but realising it will require sustained commitment to training, stronger alignment between education and industry, and continued investment in people. By working together, the industry can build a resilient, future-ready workforce and support a stronger, more sustainable Northern Ireland economy.
CITB NI
17 Dundrod Road
Crumlin
BT29 4SR
T: 028 90825 466
E: info@citbni.org.uk
W: www.citbni.org.uk
