Mark Robinson is group chief executive of SCAPE
In 2024 the construction industry continued to be held back by ongoing skills shortages and insolvencies as many contractors continued to struggle to make decent margins.
But there are plenty of reasons for optimism in 2025. The new government has promised “decisive” planning reform and a “new golden era of building” that will deliver the homes and infrastructure the UK needs.
“Although the public and private sectors are often perceived as being at odds, they share the same aim – enhancing the value derived from projects”
In 2025, the industry can look forward to seeing these pledges take shape via a 10-year infrastructure plan, the establishment of Skills England and funding for much-needed remedial work in the public sector. From homes to windfarms, ports to utilities, construction is at the centre of the government’s ambitions for growth.
To make the most of these opportunities – and disprove doubts that the construction industry can be relied upon to deliver – the industry needs to keep doing what it does best: collaborate on delivering critical projects with impact, innovate to find solutions to industry-wide issues such as climate change and look to the next generation when setting priorities.
Collaborate for maximum impact
The construction industry plays a vital role in creating positive social and environmental outcomes. What’s more, we keep getting better at it. SCAPE’s annual Social Value in Construction Benchmarking report shows a 10 per cent increase in the amount of social value generated on projects since the report first launched in 2020. This demonstrates what can be achieved when we work together on a common goal.
Although the public and private sectors are often perceived as being at odds, they share the same aim – enhancing the value derived from projects. Moving forward, collaboration between these sectors will be crucial not only for meeting the UK’s housing and infrastructure targets but also for maximising the impact of public spending. By integrating social value into public-private partnerships, the industry can achieve greater outcomes through initiatives such as apprenticeships, community engagement and sustainability programmes.
Doing more, wasting less
One critical element of sustainability is the management of construction waste. It’s sobering to acknowledge the UK construction industry generates 165,000 tonnes of waste daily – enough to fill Tottenham Hotspur Stadium every day.
It’s incumbent on everyone in the industry to do their bit to bring this number down. But to help the industry make even more progress, we’d like to see government incentives for the adoption of waste reduction and the use of existing materials, along with penalties for non-compliance with waste targets.
Building the workforce of tomorrow
While we welcome the scale of ambition and the chance to show what construction can do, with the Construction Industry Training Board predicting that an additional 250,000 workers will be needed by 2028, it’s clear we’re going to need builders and not just billons to meet the government’s targets.
Expanding digital upskilling programmes to integrate tools like Building Information Modelling (BIM) and artificial intelligence (AI) will play a key role in not only upskilling the workforce, but also helping to reposition construction as an attractive industry underpinned by digital technology and innovation.
Collaborating with educational institutions and levering public-private partnerships to fund apprenticeships and training schemes will also help. The introduction of the Growth and Skills Levy will help drive flexible funding for skills development, but as we await further updates from Skills England, the government needs to work closely with the industry to scale up the workforce in line with its vision.
By embracing digital solutions and prioritising collaboration, we can build a sector that not only meets the demands of today but sets the foundation for a sustainable, innovative future. Let’s make 2025 the year we move from ambition to action – adopting the tools, frameworks and strategies needed to future-proof our industry.
