The Built Environment's Top In-Demand Engineering Skills in 2025
The UK engineering and infrastructure landscape is currently experiencing a large paradigm shift, spurred on by the increasing pace of technological advancements, as well as regulatory changes which will impact the way professionals carry out their work. Such changes include the Future Homes Standard, which will be introduced this year, meaning new homes must produce 75-80% less emissions than homes under current regulations, and the Net Zero Carbon Building Standard, which implements similar carbon limitations to residential and commercial building practices.
The industry is also awaiting further regulatory changes, such as Invest 2035: The UK's Modern Industrial Strategy, which aims to address complex issues such as technology adoption, the skills shortage and recruitment of international talent - the full version will be published in Spring this year.
But what does this mean for the professionals working at the heart of the industry?
AI Automation and Instrumentation Skills
In contrast to the perception of AI replacing human jobs and putting people out of work, a survey by The Engineer, 95% of professionals in the power sector expect AI to increase the need to acquire new skills. The AI world is constantly changing, with tech solutions revolutionising the market and becoming obsolete within a period of a few months - this places businesses in a difficult position where there is a lack of clarity on which AI models to adopt, and how best to integrate these with current systems.
With this, new skills around tech and automation are rapidly coming into demand across all industries. In 2025, professionals who are able to leverage their ability to use AI effectively to automate repetitive tasks and free up time for them to develop their creativity and critical thinking will have a sizable advantage when searching for new roles in the built environment.
Building Information Modelling (BIM) Proficiency
As most professionals in the built environment sector will already know, BIM is a digital solution for designing and constructing 3D models which provide spatial, material, cost and lifecycle information, allowing multiple disciplines on a project to work together on a shared interface in real-time.
As high-end technology becomes more readily available, more companies are utilising BIM to streamline processes, reduce unexpected errors and costs, and ultimately speeding up project delivery. Since 2020, a BIM Level 2 qualification has been mandatory for all professionals working in public sector roles in the built environment , while a BIM framework must be applied to all public projects. This makes a BIM Level 2-3 certification one of the most vital skills a professional in the sector will need to best position themselves for the roles they want, and the necessity of technical proficiency will only increase in 2025.
Adaptability and Continuous Learning
As technology across the globe advances at a previously-unthinkable pace, engineers must be able to retrain and obtain new qualifications to be ready for future tech, according to a survey by New Civil Engineer. Without an agreed new process to upskill engineers in preparation for Invest 2035's release this year, the Institution of Mechanical Engineers warn of 'an NHS-like workforce crisis'.
This necessitates a holistic strategy to grow the total number of engineers in the UK, with new modular qualifications which will allow the continuous upskilling of the workforce. One existing example is a modular programme in advanced mechanical engineering at the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow, but other course providers and educators will need follow suit to provide the versatility the workforce will need in the coming years.
Sustainable Practice
Perhaps the most prevalent regulatory changes in the last year have been the stringent carbon limitations placed on infrastructure projects - making sustainable engineering practices vital for a company to receive a contract. Engineers in the buildings sector must now design and implement solutions that keep emissions down to around half of previous limits across most building types, according to the Net Zero Carbon Building Standard.
This means that key roles such as environmental consultants, energy modellers and sustainability officers will become increasingly abundant, while training to upskill current roles will become a necessity to keep costs manageable; especially as the skills shortage makes talent acquisition an arduous process to undertake internally. All these factors combine to present a massive advantage to those in the build environment sector who already have formal sustainability training and certifications, as the rapidly approaching net zero deadline makes them to become the most sought after qualifications in the industry, with 400,000 roles in clean energy alone needing to be filled in 2050 - of which 260,000 will be new.
