Graham Hasting-Evans, Chief Executive of NOCN Group, joined industry leaders and policymakers in Parliament on Monday 18th May for the third session of the Future Homes, Skills and Innovation (FHSI) All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG), helping to shape the national conversation on skills for the construction and retrofit sectors.

With more than 120 attendees, the session brought together a broad coalition of stakeholders from across construction, education and sustainability to address one of the sector’s most pressing challenges: how to build a workforce capable of delivering future-ready homes at scale. Current estimates highlight the urgency of the issue, with over 110,000 additional workers required each year to meet government targets.

Representing NOCN Group on an expert panel alongside Mark Farmer (Cast Consultancy), Paloma Hermoso (Ward Williams) and Mike Blakeley (Exeter College), Graham contributed to a solutions-focused discussion centred on strengthening the skills pipeline and improving access to high-quality training routes. The panel emphasised the importance of clearer qualification pathways, modular and flexible credentials, and a more cohesive system that supports progression into green skills careers.

From NOCN Group’s perspective, the conversation reinforced the need for a long-term, joined-up approach to workforce development. Throughout the session, there was strong consensus that policy stability is critical to unlocking investment in skills. Short-term, stop-start funding models continue to create uncertainty for employers and training providers, limiting their ability to plan and invest in talent over the long term.

There was also widespread agreement on the importance of localised skills strategies. By empowering regional partnerships between employers, further education providers, training organisations and local authorities, funding can be better aligned to local demand, ensuring that training provision reflects real workforce needs on the ground. This is an area where NOCN Group continues to advocate for greater collaboration and alignment across the skills system.

Industry contributions during the session further highlighted the need to strengthen competency frameworks and continuous professional development (CPD), alongside exploring whole-home approaches to skills accreditation. Questions raised by industry representatives also pointed to the potential role of public procurement in driving skills investment, including the introduction of statutory apprenticeship funding requirements for large-scale projects.

Industry expressed major concerns as the ECO4 funding for green skills ends soon and there is a significant gap before new funding comes on stream. This will mean that instead of training more people to support the move to low carbon, employers will be stopping training and even making people redundant. Everyone agreed that the Government needed to look at this issue urgently and provide transitional funding as a matter of urgency.

For NOCN Group, Graham’s participation in the APPG session reflects the organisation’s ongoing commitment to working collaboratively across industry and government to address the skills challenge. As the built environment continues to evolve in response to sustainability targets and housing demand, ensuring a competent, well-supported workforce will be central to delivering lasting change.

The discussion in Parliament underscored a clear message: closing the skills gap is not just about increasing numbers, but about building a resilient, adaptable and future-focused workforce. Through continued engagement with policymakers and industry partners, NOCN Group remains focused on supporting practical, scalable solutions that will enable the sector to meet both current demands and future ambitions.

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This national conversation directly aligns with NOCN Group’s growing portfolio of retrofit and green skills qualifications, designed to support the workforce demands highlighted during the APPG session. Through regulated qualifications in areas such as retrofit assessment, coordination and installation, alongside short courses and micro-credentials that build competency in specific low-carbon technologies and whole-home approaches, NOCN Group is enabling learners and employers to respond to evolving industry requirements. By offering flexible pathways that support both new entrants and upskilling professionals, these products are helping to build the capable, compliant and future-ready workforce needed to deliver large-scale retrofit programmes across the UK.

Discover more at about our retrofit qualifications