Addressing skills gaps can position engineering as a leader in driving environmental and social change

The latest webinar in FIDIC’s ongoing 2024 series of online events took place on 29 October 2024, with a launch event for the latest FIDIC State of the World report, Nurturing Tomorrow’s Infrastructure Workforce: Capacity Building and Upskilling – Closing the Sustainability Skills Gap.

The report is an important one for the industry as it explores skills, upskilling and capacity building in the infrastructure sector and focuses on some of the present skills shortages and gaps the industry faces, while also addressing the question of which skills will be indispensable in five, ten and 15 years’ time.

Click here to download the report, Nurturing Tomorrow's Infrastructure Workforce: Capacity Building and Closing the Sustainability Skills Gap.

The expert panel of speakers at the webinar was led by webinar chair, Eng. James N. Mwangi. EBS. CE. FIEK. MEI. MACEK. MKIM. , CEO at Nairobi-headquartered consultancy firm, Kurrent Technologies Ltd. and also a vice chair of FIDIC. Speakers included Eng. Malani Padayachee-Saman , CEO of MPAMOT AFRICA , Shoroke H. Zedan , CEO of Taheal - ????? for VET Skills Excellence, Artur Henrique de Morais Brito , development manager at TPF Engenharia and a member of the FIDIC Future Leaders Advisory Council, Maia Kumari Bree Chowdhury , senior architect at 艾奕康 , Micheala Chan , climate engineer at Arcadis and Basma Eissa , Head of Policy, ESG & Sustainability at FIDIC, who wrote the report.

Introducing the webinar, James Mwangi said that FIDIC’s State of the World series of reports deal with some of the key global issues facing the engineering, construction and infrastructure sector and this latest report was no exception in addressing the twin challenge of skills gaps and the sustainability and net zero challenge. “The report highlights and addresses one of the most important challenges for infrastructure professionals – the need to build a workforce that is not only technically excellent, but also equipped to meet the urgency of sustainability, net zero and societal imperatives,” he said.

“The report we are launching today identifies critical skills gaps in areas such as renewable energy integration, digital literacy, AI-driven innovation and sustainable construction practices. As governments and industries alike commit to reducing emissions, the infrastructure workforce must drive to be upskilled to meet the future challenges we face and then also deliver on climate, emissions and biodiversity promises,” Mwangi said. He said that if the industry embraces and leverages the report’s recommendations, then “we believe it will not only meet the challenges of sustainability but also position itself as a leader in driving meaningful environmental and social change.”

Speaking first, Basma Eissa, head of policy, ESG and sustainability at FIDIC and the report’s author, said that the role of the infrastructure sector is evolving and with it the skills required to thrive in this new landscape. “Our report identifies the critical skills gaps that must be addressed and provides a clear, actionable roadmap for closing those gaps,” she said. “Key takeaways and recommendations in the report include the need to embed sustainability across industry training programmes and to leverage emerging technologies like AI, fostering cross-sector collaboration across the industry, for governments to make policy interventions for continuous learning and also the paramount requirement for the global infrastructure community to drive change in this area,” Eissa said.

Drawing on her wide experience as a leader in the South African infrastructure sector, the second speaker, Malani Padayachee-Saman, CEO of MPAMOT, talked about how she saw capacity building evolving in the context of South Africa’s unique development challenges, such as rapid urbanisation and climate resilience. She emphasised that “localisation plays a critical role; one has to have a fit-for-purpose solution.” She also highlighted some of the ways that South Africa's infrastructure sector could better prepare its workforce for sustainability and green economy demands, particularly in terms of skills related to renewable energy and resource efficiency.

Speaking third, Shoroke Zedan, CEO of Ta'heal for VET Skills Excellence, looked at the role of vocational education and how this was evolving to meet the growing demand for green skills in infrastructure projects in North Africa and the Middle East, particularly with the region's focus on renewable energy and sustainable urban planning. She emphasised that this “needs to be led by the private sector via public-private partnerships” and highlighted “a lot of industry-led innovation with the private sector in terms of policy development, minimising brain drain and mobilising the workforce.” She also shared some interesting insights on how Egypt is integrating sustainability into its national infrastructure development plans and the role that vocational training was playing in supporting these efforts.

The fourth speaker, Artur Brito, development manager at TPF Engenharia and a member of the FIDIC Future Leaders Advisory Council, highlighted some of Brazil's significant investments in sustainable infrastructure and the strategies being implemented to ensure that the workforce is equipped with the necessary skills to meet net-zero targets. He stressed that “we cannot forget informal education, going to events, conferences, workshops” and emphasised that “creating partnerships with universities is essential, allowing for innovation and learning – reducing the gap but also providing new knowledge that we could feed back into our projects.” He was also keen to share examples of how the FIDIC Future Leaders Advisory Council was helping shape the development of these skills and preparing future leaders to address global challenges.

Maia Chowdhury, senior architect at AECOM, spoke about how her organisation was preparing its workforce to integrate sustainability into architectural design and urban planning, particularly in the context of ambitious net-zero targets. She noted that “giving junior staff an opportunity to talk at higher levels is important” and emphasised that “being vocal about sustainability skills is vital to mentorship.” With a specific focus on green cities, she also highlighted some of the specific skills that she thought were most crucial for architects and designers in the future and outlined how these could be nurtured and developed within the existing workforce.

Finally, Micheala Chan, climate engineer at Arcadis, gave an outline of the World Federation of Engineering Organizations’ Young Engineers/Future Leaders Working Group on Climate Action, of which she is a part, and the work they do to help empower young engineers to meaningfully participate in climate policymaking and sustainable development. She acknowledged that “many junior engineers do not have a policy background, and we believe upskilling in this area is imperative.” She also stressed the importance of approaches that are “locally adaptable but keeping in mind the bigger picture.” Micheala outlined some of the key barriers that young engineers face when trying to engage in climate policymaking and highlighted some of the strategies that organisations like WFEO have used to overcome these obstacles and amplify the voices of future leaders. These included examples of how young engineers have successfully influenced policy or driven sustainable practices in the infrastructure sector.

Summing up the webinar, FIDIC vice president James Mwangi said that the industry needed to come together to take decisive steps to build a workforce that is not only capable of delivering sustainable projects but is also poised to lead the way in transforming the infrastructure landscape. “I hope that this report serves as both a guide and an inspiration. It is a roadmap for action, collaboration and growth. The infrastructure workforce of tomorrow will not only build the structures that support our economies but will also shape the world we leave behind for future generations. It is our responsibility to make sure they are prepared for the task,” said Mwangi.

Watch the full webinar recording below.?

The next webinar in FIDIC’s 2024 series of events, Resilient infrastructure: What does it look like and how do we achieve it? takes place on Tuesday 5 November and will be examining an issue that is growing in importance in the industry – how to build resilient infrastructure to take account of the challenges of climate change and ensure that what is developed is truly sustainable for the short, medium and long term.

Click here to book your place at the webinar, Resilient infrastructure: What does it look like and how do we achieve it?