Young people are entering the building services sector in growing numbers as they seek rewarding and fulfilling careers, but the industry still needs many more, writes Jill Nicholls.
There has been considerable negative publicity this year surrounding the ‘NEET’ generation – those aged between 16 and 24 who are not in education, employment or training. However, there are several glimmers of hope for the building services sector.
Plumbing and HVAC had the highest proportion of under-25s of any major construction-related skilled occupation group between 2023 and 2025, according to the latest figures from the CSCS Alliance.
In 2025, 23% of all cards issued in those trades went to under-25s. Across construction as a whole, the number of cards issued to this age group increased by 8.8%, rising from 86,798 to 94,444.
Far from being part of the “lost generation” identified in the government’s Young People and Work interim report, under-25s now account for 19% of all CSCS-logoed cards. These include our sector’s SKILLcard scheme, managed by BESA.
The Alliance also found that growth in skilled roles outstripped growth in labouring occupations, suggesting that more young people are being attracted by the variety of roles, defined career paths and opportunities to develop new skills.
Skilled And Advanced
CSCS Group Chief Executive Sean Kearns said the data was hugely encouraging and showed that the industry was moving in the right direction to meet its future workforce needs:
“More young people are choosing careers in construction than in recent years, across a broad range of occupations, and an increasing proportion are entering the sector with skilled and advanced qualifications.”
However, while the trend is positive, the industry is still starting from a relatively low base. More needs to be done to promote building services careers to the next generation, although the sector has several strong foundations on which to build.
BESA’s Labour Market Intelligence (LMI) study, carried out by Pye Tait Consulting, found that the increasing use of heat pumps, smart building systems and energy-efficient retrofit solutions is radically reshaping the building services engineering (BSE) skills landscape, alongside advances in low-carbon materials and sustainable design.
This evolution has clear appeal for younger people, who also bring high levels of digital literacy to the sector. Employers increasingly regard digital capability as a critical skill, while parts of the ageing workforce can struggle to keep pace with developments such as AI and rapidly evolving software.
The LMI study found that firms were struggling to recruit across most roles, with 75% identifying apprentices and trainee positions as their greatest recruitment challenge. The CSCS data suggests that the industry can begin to address this problem as demand grows in disciplines such as building controls, energy systems, heat pumps, ductwork and ventilation.
Employers called for more relevant training provision and stronger promotion of the sector. Over the next three years, they anticipate further growth in the deployment of heat pumps and smart heat networks. Longer term, AI-driven design and increasingly smart, energy-efficient technologies are expected to reshape job roles further.
Skills Legacy
At the other end of the skills pipeline, BESA’s Skills Legacy programme is approaching a quarter of the way towards its ambitious target of recruiting 100 new trainers, assessors and building safety auditors to help further education (FE) providers deliver building services apprenticeships.
The programme, launched with financial support from the Manly Trust, is using BESA’s national networks to recruit experienced engineers who can pass on their expertise and help address skills gaps in critical engineering trades. The response from industry has been encouraging, with 23 people either completing the programme to become qualified trainers and assessors or currently working towards their qualification.
This progress is vital because, without qualified and experienced assessors, the sector cannot achieve its training ambitions.
However, more information is still needed about the scale and nature of the industry’s skills gaps. The BESA Skills Team is therefore engaging with employers, training providers, funders, membership organisations, government and other stakeholders to develop the first-ever BSE Sector Skills Plan.
The plan will provide a clear, evidence-led programme of action reflecting the needs of the whole sector, including its 40 distinct work types. The consultation will draw on virtual and in-person conversations and roundtables to identify:
- The most urgent skills challenges facing the sector
- Where current training and provision are falling short
- The skills and roles that will be needed in the future
- The practical actions that could make the greatest difference
To help shape the Skills Plan, register your interest by emailing skillsplan@thebesa.com. Your insight will help ensure the plan supports the development of a workforce equipped for the future.
The CSCS statistics suggest that the industry is moving in the right direction – but now it needs to pick up the pace.
Download BESA’s Labour Market Intelligence Report and explore the latest guidance, resources and opportunities on the BESA Skills & Training Hub.