Sign the pledge and commit to support the next generation of green skills talent.......
The next generation of green skilled professionals need more than  classrooms they needs hands-on, practical experience.
We face an urgent challenge: the UK must grow a skilled, diverse and passionate workforce to deliver retrofit and sustainable construction at scale. Yet, this is an industry that depends on practical, real-world skills and too many students simply aren’t getting the chance to develop them.
Our message to the industry is simple:
We need you, the professionals, practices, and organisations to open your doors, your sites, and your projects to the next generation.
That’s where Build Forward comes in.
Led by U-Build, Her Retrofit Space, ACAN, BRING and Studio Bark this collaboration began with one shared purpose:
To ensure school leavers and apprentices to degree students and career changers gain hands-on experience with the people, projects and opportunities that will shape the UK’s low-carbon future.
To date we have done this through:
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Work experience for students at industry events (Futurebuild 2025)
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Build Tomorrow: Construction Sustainability and Innovators Youth Summit (April 30 2025)
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Hands-on learning, mentoring and practical workshops (V&A & Futurebuild workshops on the ACAN stand at Futurebuild)
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Inclusive partnerships and continued mentoring that show all students have pathway to a place in the industry (Continued mentoring and support from Her Retrofit Space)
We know that in the UK:
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Colleges, universities, and training providers are embedding green skills into their courses, from Passivhaus design and MVHR installation to natural building materials and whole-house retrofit.
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A recent study, Closing the Retrofit Skills Gap (Charlotte Ravenscroft, Gatsby, Ashden, National Retrofit Hub), found employer engagement is too low, not enough placements, apprenticeships, or project collaborations.
- Research such as Best practice in experiential learning June 2019Â by the CITB, exemplified the reasoning behind why practical hands-on learning improves employability.Â
“… learning from experience or learning by doing. Experiential education first immerses learners in an experience and then encourages reflection about the experience to develop new skills, new attitudes, and new ways of thinking.”Â
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There is a shortage of tutors with up-to-date industry expertise, and the best candidates could come directly from today’s workforce.
Build Forward was created to bridge that gap, connecting education with real industry experience.
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Why it mattersÂ
This is not just a skills pipeline problem, it’s a connection problem.
Students need role models. They need opportunities to see their future in action. They need professionals willing to open the door, share knowledge, and show them that they are already valued as part of our shared mission to decarbonise the UK’s buildings.
Our role
Our job is to set an example, showcase and amplify the importance of hands-on learning proving to the industry why it matters, sharing success stories, and connecting education with the organisations that can make it happen.
Sign the Pledge.Â
If you’re an industry professional, practice, or organisation working to decarbonise the UK’s built environment, we invite you to:
+ Sign the Build Forward Pledge (your name and company will appear below in the list)
+Offer opportunities from work placements, apprenticeships, and mentoring to site visits, event experiences and project collaboration.
+ Donate your time and consider working part-time for a college. There is a significant shortage of tutors holding back education from providing training.
+ Be part of a nationwide movement to inspire and empower the next generation of green skills talent.
Contact us at info@build-forward.co.uk to share your initiatives & stories so we can inspire and share with others.
Who has signed the Build Forward Pledge:
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Nick Newman, Ubuild
Ellora Coupe, Her Retrofit Space
Roxana Caplan, Architects Climate Action Network
Carol Minto, Bring
Steph Makins, ACAN
Vito Martino, Waltham Forest College
Sophie Lang, Studio Bark
Lucy Ferguson, Mediorite
Matthew Goldschmied, RVI Architectural Design
Chris Galpin, E3G
Nikki Lambert, Lambert Home Builds
Brian Monaghan, Indinature
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