CITB and FMB Launch RMI Sector Skills Plan

The repair, maintenance and improvement (RMI) sector is worth £41 billion of total construction turnover. 

That is the key finding of a new report: Energy Retrofit, Repair, Maintenance and Improvement of Homes in Great Britain: Towards a Sector Skills Strategy for CITB’s RMI Sector Skills Advisory Group.

The report outlines what the RMI sector needs to grow and progress, focussing on the ‘guiding principles’ of competence, industry coordination, and quality assurance.

The principles underpin the new RMI (Retrofit) Sector Skills Plan developed with the Federation of Master Builders (FMB), employers, and industry stakeholders.

The plan sets out how industry will work together to streamline training and strengthen the skills, competence and confidence of the workforce delivering retrofit. It will also create clearer standards for employers and workers to train towards.

It follows the damning findings of the National Audit Office examination of installations delivered under the Energy Company Obligation (ECO) scheme last October, which had a 98% failure rate.

Quality at the Centre of the Skills Agenda

CITB says the RMI (Retrofit) Sector Skills Plan aims to combat poor retrofit by putting quality at the centre of the skills agenda. It will help to make sure the RMI and retrofit workforce is fully equipped to maximise the benefits of retrofit while minimising the risks as much as possible, CITB adds.

Tim Balcon, Chief Executive Officer at CITB, said: “Delivering retrofit at the scale needed across the UK depends on having a workforce with the right skills, knowledge, and competence.

“The RMI Sector Skills Plan brings the industry together around a shared approach, helping to simplify what can often be a complex landscape and making it easier for businesses and individuals to access the support they need.”

Brian Berry, Chief Executive of the FMB, said: “The RMI sector is often treated as the Cinderella of the construction sector, but domestic RMI represents 20% of UK constructions economic output. That is more than new housing and more than infrastructure.

“The bigger picture is that retrofit is no longer niche, it is just everyday RMI work, carried out by thousands of small, local builders on a daily basis. It is therefore time that we invest in the skills and competence outcomes that this sector deserves.”

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