Partner event In Person

Who Will Build Britain? Skills, Supply & Sustainable Growth

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    Event details

    • Birmingham
    • 02 July 2026
    • 05:30 PM - 08:30 PM BST

    Event fees

    CIOB Member - free to attend

    Summary

    Who Will Build Britain? Skills, Supply & Sustainable Growth

    The built environment is central to UK economic growth, from housing delivery and infrastructure investment to Net Zero and regional regeneration. Yet a critical skills shortage is slowing progress across planning, design, construction, and delivery.

    With over 250,000 additional workers needed by 2028, the question is no longer whether we have a problem, but whether the sector can realistically deliver what the economy, communities, and climate targets demand.

    Building Brum and the Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB) are coming together for this joint event to lead an essential discussion on how the sector can close the skills gap, secure its supply of talent, and build sustainably for the future - and what it means for developers, investors, and occupiers.


    Event Chair: Ellie Jenkins - Partner - Akerlof

    Special guest panellists:
    Richard Parker - Mayor - West Midlands Combined Authority

    Ray O’Sullivan - Regional Director - Caddick Construction

    Maddy Donaghy - Head Of Talent Acquisition, Social Value and Early Careers - Careys

    Core challenge for the room
    Is the skills crisis being meaningfully tackled across the built environment?

    Can we deliver homes and infrastructure, use those assets effectively, and unlock GDP growth at the same time?

    Who needs to act faster - industry, education, or the public sector?

    Key Issues the Panel Will Tackle

    • Skills shortages as a brake on GDP growth and productivity
    • Regional delivery vs national policy
    • Cost inflation and programme delays
    • Housing targets and infrastructure bottlenecks
    • Net Zero ambitions vs workforce reality
    • Who is responsible for fixing the pipeline - and how fast?

    The Building Brum series is kindly sponsored by Solus, Arup, Careys, Bruntwood SciTech, Caddick Construction, Unique Window Systems, Eh Smith Architectural Solutions and Sunbelt Rentals.

    Due to sponsorship conditions and venue capacity, ticket restrictions are in place and apply to manufacturers, suppliers, recruiters and sales representatives. Sponsorship opportunities are available, please contact [email protected]

    For more information regarding sponsorship please email conor@curzon-consultants.uk or visit www.buildingbrum.co.uk

    Further details and full joining instructions will be provided on registering, but in the meantime if you have any questions please contact:

    Georgina Floyd - CIOB - Member Services & Events Coordinator

    Tel: +44 (0)1344 630836 Email: [email protected]

    Please note: this event is for over 18’s only.

    How can we help you get the most out of this event? We want to ensure accessibility for all of our members. Please contact us in confidence prior to attendance and we will do our best to answer any questions and support any additional needs you may have.

    By booking for this event you are agreeing to share your name, email address and company information with the event organisers.

    The CIOB Assist Programme

    This event is free to attend. If you would like to make an optional donation to CIOB Assist please click HERE . Now more than ever, we need your support. Thank you for your generosity. Find out more about the work we do