CITB Impact Fund – Timber in Construction Skills Development

Abstract

The UK construction industry faces a significant skills shortage, particularly in the management and on-site delivery of timber MMC. This shortage is driven by a lack of resources, training content, and educational and career pathways for both new entrants and existing workers. This paper reports on the approach and early findings of a UK Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) Impact Fund project, “Timber in Construction Skills”, aimed at addressing these challenges. The project supports the aims of the UK Timber in Construction Roadmap, a Government-Industry Partnership launched in 2025, by creating new educational resources and improving skills pathways; developing and implementing accredited training programmes for existing and standalone educational provision; and collaborating with sector stakeholders and external partners to achieve scalable impact. This paper provides an overview of the skills gap analysis and early results, identifying gaps for educational interventions. By applying a novel AI-driven gap analysis methodology, identified competency deficiencies can be systematically translated into targeted educational interventions, supporting the management and on-site delivery of off-site-manufactured timber MMC.