Recommendation 4

Government departments and the broader economy lack the necessary skills and capacity to deliver the government’s ambitious portfolio of major infrastructure projects. The UK’s projected spend on infrastructure projects over the next five years is very high—unprecedented, according to the IPA—with the UK building more than it has ever built and in a range of sectors including roads, rail and energy. With global competition from other countries with massive investment projects such as Saudi Arabia, there is a risk of skills shortage to deliver such an ambitious portfolio of investment. Skills shortages in specific trades such as welding are already being seen but design and project management skills are also in short supply. Failure to build market capacity could result in higher prices for scarce skills. Too little of the right skills in government has led to an overreliance on the supply chain, particularly in technical and engineering disciplines. The IPA says that nearly 1,000 accredited project professionals have now passed through the government’s major project leadership academy and that it has an ambition to get another 1,000 accredited professionals through the programme by the end of March 2025. However, that is only a small proportion of the 16,000 government project professionals that need to gain accreditation. Recommendation 4: Alongside their response to this report HM Treasury and the Infrastructure Projects Authority should write to the Committee with an analysis of risks to the government’s portfolio of infrastructure projects caused by the lack of skills.