Future Skyline Skills Commitment

The Future Skyline Skills Commitment is an industry led pledge to tackle skills gaps, attract new talent and futureproof London’s built environment workforce. It invites industry, local authorities and public sector bodies to align around a common framework to offer employment and sustainability training opportunities for new entrants from all backgrounds.

The commitment is driven by the Sustainable Skyline Taskforce – established by the City of London Corporation and on which LPA Chief Executive Charles Begley serves as Deputy Chair.

Our London Leaders’ Reception, hosted by the City Corporation at the Old Bailey, celebrated the growing impact of the Commitment and showcased how public–private partnership can unlock better employment and training outcomes for Londoners.

Jules Pipe CBE (Deputy Mayor of London, Planning, Regeneration & the Fire Service) provided the event’s keynote speech, underlining the importance of cross‑borough working, as well as the power of planning to deliver skills:

“Fostering greater collaboration around Section 106 – between councils, developers, skills providers and City Hall – could unlock enormous benefits. Benefits not just for individuals, but for employers facing skills shortages, and for the long-term prospects of the sector as a whole.”

Keith Bottomley (Chair, Skills for a Sustainable Skyline Taskforce & Sheriff, City of London Corporation) added:

“We want to build on the Commitment’s current momentum by inviting local authorities and other public sector bodies to get involved. Delivering on our ambitions for skills, housing, infrastructure and net zero requires genuine partnership working between the public and private sectors.

Currently, developers’ employment and skills plans delivered through Section 106 agreements often fall short of their potential. These plans can be complex, fragmented and duplicative, creating challenges for contractors and limiting the impact of employment and training outcomes for local communities.

We must strive to develop a shared Commitment framework that works for everyone – industry, local authorities and local communities – and ensures the opportunities created by built environment employers reach the local residents who need them most.”

Closing the event, Sophie Morgan (CPA NextGen Chair and Senior Development Manager at Landsec) shared how employers can embed skills pathways in practice:

“Across our Portfolio we have seen the success of embedding apprenticeships and local skills pathways from an early stage. On site, this is something we work closely with our contractor partners on and we are grateful to those who also see the importance and true value of investing in these initiatives.

“Through both our Landsec Futures and Internship Programmes we are exposing the huge breadth of opportunity in our sector and by 2030 aim to have supported at least 30,000 people from underrepresented socio-economic backgrounds towards long-term employment.

There is of course always more that can be done, and a further joined up approach across Boroughs could support even more growth across the capital.”

The Commitment is a voluntary, best-endeavours approach that champions diverse new entrants, supports inclusive green skills training and promotes supply-chain collaboration to share best practice, raising ambition through practical action. Industry-led and policy-aligned, it was shaped by the City Corporation’s Skills for a Sustainable Skyline Taskforce and supports the London Plan and UK Net Zero Strategy. The Commitment has over 50 signatories including British Land and Multiplex.