The Institute of Environmental Management and Assessment launched the campaign, which calls for integrating green skills into national action plans for biodiversity and climate change.

The Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB) has joined the cause ahead of November’s Climate Change Conference in Baku, Azerbaijan, to highlight the significant lack of green skills within the construction industry.

Amanda Williams, head of environmental sustainability at CIOB, said: “Addressing the significant green skills gap will be essential in creating a more sustainable built environment.

“By joining the #GreenSkillsAtCop campaign, we hope to encourage the Government to focus properly on the issues the industry is facing and to put measures in place to address the deficit.”

CIOB estimates around 500,000 additional workers in skilled trades are required in the UK alone to bring the national housing stock up to a minimum emergency efficiency standard of EPC C by 2030.

The organisation has continually called for introducing a green construction skills fund, which could fund a pipeline of workers trained in retrofit coordination, heat pump installation, and sustainable modern construction methods (MMC).

It could also cover specialist roles such as ecologists required for projects to fulfil requirements from recently introduced legislation on Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG).

Meanwhile, Skills England, the newly formed body created to address skills shortages and economic growth, said in its September report that green-skilled workers would be vital in delivering the country’s Net Zero targets.

CIOB will attend this year’s COP29 conference and continue highlighting the skills issue with policymakers and other industry stakeholders.