Post-event thoughts: Spotlight on the skills gap 

During October, we gave you some insight into the upcoming two-day event we were sponsoring with BE News. Of particular interest to us was the Question Time-style panel, where our managing director, Maria Sinclair, was a panellist. With the event done and the dust settled, we wanted to reflect on the discussion points, capture the mood of the room, and give you Maria’s view. 

The debate set the government's ambition to build 1.5 million new homes against the industry shortfall of roughly 250,000 roles.  

Let’s get stuck into the main talking points. 

Is the gap getting bigger? 

A show of hands in the room suggested most people think the gap has grown over the past year. The truth is perhaps more nuanced. Some disciplines have strengthened, but not nearly fast enough, and geography is a big factor here. Each region has its own set of skills challenges. 

Universities are weighing up whether certain Real Estate courses - such as building surveying for example - are viable as enrolments dip, while demand and pay for building surveyors have risen.  

There’s also a persistent problem with conversion. Large numbers are studying surveying or related degrees, but too many graduates either choose other sectors or never complete professional routes. In short, the pipeline leaks at several points, and the picture changes by location and specialism. 

From job titles to skills 

A recurring topic was the need to stop hiring too Victorian-sounding job titles and start with the skills required to solve today’s problems. Role profiles that haven’t been refreshed in a decade don’t help. Teams that define the work in skills terms, then hire people who can learn adjacent competencies, are moving faster.  

Maria’s take on this was, if the talent isn’t available in neat boxes, rethink the boxes. Treat valuation, rating, commercial analysis, and cost work as neighbouring skill sets, and design roles that let capable people pivot and grow. 

Make professional pathways more flexible 

Quality is undoubtedly important, but rigidity is costing the sector people.  

We should back a more modular approach to qualification and CPD so candidates can build competence in stages, switch direction mid-career, and still reach chartered status. That’s particularly important for smaller firms that struggle to sponsor candidates through every rotation.  

RICS have work underway on new pathways in data analytics, sustainability, and retrofit, alongside changes to education and CPD timetables over the next year. The direction of travel seems to be stackable learning, clearer mid-career routes, and better support for SMEs. 

Tell a better story, earlier 

The industry still isn’t telling a compelling story to schools, parents, and teachers.  

Job titles don’t sell the work - experience and outreach does. When students see drone surveying in action, digital mapping at landscape scale, or the impact of a retrofit that halves a building’s energy use, the penny drops.  

We need to push for earlier engagement in schools and sixth forms led by practising professionals, and for industry-led pathways that sit alongside A-levels as a route into degrees and work.  

If we want a broader intake, we must show the breadth of the career. 

Pay, competition and perception 

Built environment graduates are attractive to other sectors.  

Law, accountancy and energy often win because starting salaries and branding are stronger. If we want more graduates to choose surveying, planning and development, the offer must stack up. That doesn’t begin and end with pay. A visible career arc, international exposure, modern tools, and the chance to solve real problems all matter.  

However, it’s difficult to deny that where pay is uncompetitive, the sector loses people it can’t afford to lose. 

Geography and flexibility 

A London-centric model shuts out talent that can’t relocate or absorb higher living costs. Remote and hybrid working opened doors during the pandemic, then many closed again.  

We need to challenge employers to hire talent where it lives, build regional training capacity and design collaboration around distributed teams. If a portfolio can be managed expertly from Manchester, why force the role to London? 

The skills to prioritise next 

AI, data and sustainability are not extras. They’re becoming core to how work is done.  

We have to think about the opportunities this brings. Digital tools such as drones and advanced mapping make the work more accurate and engaging, whilst carbon literacy and retrofit expertise turn policy into delivery.  

The task now is to weave these capabilities into curricula, job design, and day-to-day practice, so people can apply them from the start rather than bolt them on later. 

Diversity, mobility and mid-career entry 

Diversity is both a moral and a market necessity. A bigger, broader talent pool is the only way the sector will fill the gap at the pace required. That means welcoming career changers, recognising transferable skills, and providing short, technical bridges to fill gaps.  

It also means tackling the practical barriers that shut people out, from the cost of training to the location of roles. We have to make it easier for qualified people to pivot and stay, and easier for experienced professionals in adjacent fields to join and thrive. 

Collaboration and a stronger voice 

Silos slow progress.  

We need clearer frameworks for collaboration across clients, tier ones, SMEs, and consultants. What’s more, a more coordinated approach to lobbying can only be a positive.  

Standards and project charters can help align supply chains on skills and social value, but the industry also needs to present fewer, clearer asks to government on funding, apprenticeships, and education capacity.  

The next step is to make collaboration routine, not exceptional. 

The one change to make now 

The time to join up and act is now.  

We have to be realistic about what we can shift quickly, then prioritise integration that moves delivery now, opens the gates to career changers, and stops the leakage of people who want to stay but can’t see a path. 

Maria’s final reflections 

“As well as the industry and workers, it’s clear that the professional bodies want to see changes too. The event was a great opportunity to get people from all corners of the built environment in the room, and it was refreshing to have such an open, honest, and thought-provoking conversation – one that has been long overdue.  

As recruiters in the built environment, we see the skills gap not just as a shortage of people, but as a mismatch of people, skills, location, and ambition.  

If we solve that four-way equation, the talent will come.” 

Maria Sinclair – Managing Director, Cobalt Recruitment.