A WARNING has been sounded that Scotland’s net-zero target is in jeopardy because the workforce is not there to deliver it.

Projects and businesses will be at risk if urgent action is not taken to tackle the problem, the Sunday National has been told.

Qualified plumbers, heating engineers, plasterers, joiners and construction workers as well as materials are all in short supply, with Brexit cited as a major cause of the shortages in many trades.

“There is currently a lack of qualified plumbers and heating engineers, and this is having a significant impact on our members’ businesses, and could also impact the Scottish Government’s net-zero emissions ambition,” said a spokesperson for the Scottish and Northern Ireland Plumbing Employers’ Federation.

READ MORE: Stuart Cosgrove: ‘Beefy’ leaves Scotland as the only nation left taking England seriously

“While there is currently unprecedented demand for plumbing and heating services, many of our members are not able to expand their business and take on more work as they simply cannot get enough skilled staff.

“The Scottish Government’s ambition to meet net-zero emissions by 2045 involves changing the way we heat our homes and buildings, and this will mean a constant and plentiful work supply for plumbers and heating engineers well into the future.

“The challenge is not upskilling those already in the industry but having enough qualified people to undertake the work.”

The Scottish Building Federation (SBF) said the problem of material and labour shortages, leading to price rises, had continued to accelerate, causing “significant” issues across the building and trade sectors.

READ MORE: Greggs, KFC, Costa and more: All the businesses facing food shortage issues amid Brexit

“Although that cannot be attributed to one single factor, members are telling us that Brexit and the pandemic are two of the contributing factors,” said SBF managing director Vaughan Hart.

“This makes it vital that companies work with clients at an early stage to develop an understanding of this environment and the cost increases and project delays they could cause that are beyond their control. If we don’t, the projects our members are working on will be put at risk as could the stability of the businesses themselves, which at a time of high demand should be unthinkable.

“It is a difficult balance to be struck but one we must achieve if the construction and building sector are to complete the critical work they are involved in and contribute to the post-Covid economic recovery.”

Barrhead-based contractor AC Whyte & Co Ltd specialises in delivering energy efficiency projects in social and private housing and has its own skills academy to train the workforce of tomorrow. This relies heavily on experienced workers mentoring the trainees as part of their on-site training, but Brexit has led to many of the skilled workers returning to their home countries in the European Union.

“With world-leading net-zero targets and a commitment to invest almost £1.6 billion for heat and energy efficiency projects, the sector is weighted under immense opportunity, but the reality is that the workforce simply isn’t there to deliver on the scale of the opportunity,” said Jennifer Phin, managing director of the family-owned firm.

READ MORE: Ruth Wishart: Current system in Holyrood will always mean numpties taking up seats

“We are currently operating at 70% pre-Covid capacity, but this could easily reduce to 50% as we race to net zero, with more work on the horizon.

“In the UK, generations of tradespeople have been lost and, until now, European operatives have travelled to the UK to supplement the declining UK workforce, to solve our problem and contribute to our economy.

“And for us, they have also been instrumental in supporting the training of local people, our future workforce, through our bespoke skills academy. Our model of local training and local jobs is at real risk at a time when it is needed most.”

Phin said the country was currently at a “tipping point” regarding the shortages.

“This is a real concern, and without affirmative action, we will fail in our net-zero ambitions.”

She pointed out that the energy efficiency works the firm delivers are underpinned by trades such as plastering, joinery and rendering and, despite years of training to master these trades, they are not deemed as “skilled workers”, therefore don’t feature on the UK Government’s Skills Shortages list.

“Construction is massively underrepresented and this needs to change to allow us to attract talent to supplement our workforce,” said Phin.

A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “While population decline and the need to support an ageing workforce still remain, the Covid pandemic has led to an unprecedented impact on our society, economy and labour market, while the challenges being faced by a number of sectors have been exacerbated by Brexit and our removal from a single market around seven times bigger than the UK.

“The Scottish Government supported 5033 people into modern apprenticeship in the construction sector during 2020/21. Construction will have a critical role in supporting the drive to net zero and sector employment is forecast to grow by 2029.

“There is a role for employers in improving the attractiveness of their sectors to encourage young people to consider them as long-term career options with development opportunities and with fair work principles informing terms and conditions of employment.”

A UK Government spokesperson said: “We want to see employers make long-term investments in the UK domestic workforce instead of relying on labour from abroad and our Plan for Jobs is helping people across the country retrain, build new skills and get back into work.

“We are committed to the Government’s ambitious Net Zero Strategy and have welcomed the recommendations put forward by the Green Jobs Taskforce, which are a big step forward in delivering the skilled workers and green jobs essential for the UK’s transition to net zero. We will now consider these recommendations.”