CIOB NEWS
construction PROFESSIONAL
JOSEPH KILROY, POLICY AND PUBLIC AFFAIRS MANAGER, IRELAND, NI, SCOTLAND AND WALES AT THE CHARTERED INSTITUTE OF BUILDING (CIOB), IS CALLING FOR A COHERENT POLICY FRAMEWORK… Time for NI Assembly to get to work supporting our construction sector
Joseph Kilroy.
The return of power sharing to Stormont comes almost two years after CIOB published our first-ever Northern Ireland election manifesto. While it is heartening to see MLAs returning to the business of policy making, the long-standing political inertia means the issues facing the construction sector remain the same as they were when we launched the manifesto in 2022. The construction industry is the fourth largest employer in Northern Ireland, providing over 50,000 jobs directly, and supporting many others that rely on the industry. As well as providing employment, the construction sector is the source of the buildings and infrastructure that will allow Northern Ireland to thrive as it embarks on a new era of government. However, Northern Ireland politics has been plagued by inconsistency in recent years, and construction, like any sector, certainly needs to thrive. Sustainable growth of the sector can only take place within a coherent policy framework that will give a clear signal to the construction sector that there will be a long-term pipeline of future projects. Our primary call in our 2022 manifesto was, and remains, a stable policy environment for the construction sector. This means costing, implementing and financing strategies for housing and infrastructure, and a national development plan. On the education front, there is currently a GCSE in Construction which is offered across over 30 schools. Unfortunately, there is no A-Level in Construction. To remedy this, we are calling on the
CIOB is calling on the NI Assembly to ringfence funding for the development of an A-Level in construction.
next Assembly to ringfence funding for the development of an A-Level in construction. From an environmental sustainability perspective, our manifesto recommends that the Assembly develops an accelerated and coordinated retrofit education and training programme in colleges, universities and in industry. This will equip construction technicians and professionals with the skills they will need to decarbonise our existing building stock. There is a significant opportunity for the next Assembly to introduce a clear metric and target for carbon reduction on construction and infrastructure projects. As the largest employer in Northern Ireland, the public sector is in an ideal position to lead the way. Our manifesto recommends that the Assembly, the 160
public bodies in Northern Ireland, those they fund and their sub-groups implement a carbon metric in their feasibility, planning delivery and operation of their construction projects. From a policy perspective, the last two years have seen the launch of a Skills Strategy for Northern Ireland, a Housing Supply Strategy, a Programme for Government Framework, a Climate Change Bill and a series of reforms to public procurement, all of which directly impact the built environment. The CIOB has contributed to each of these initiatives through consultation responses and direct engagement with public bodies. With the Assembly back in place, now is the time to implement each of these strategies and give the construction sector the certainty it needs to thrive.
Julie Fitzsimmons, Member Services and Events Coordinator ‑ Northern Ireland T: +44 (0)1344 630 729 - M: +44 (0)7760 164 101 - E: jfitzsimmons@ciob.org.uk www.ciob.org
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