As Steve Bertasso, Associate Professor at NMITE illustrates, skills development in  timber construction has become a vital part of the UK’s wider sustainability efforts

Once regarded as a specialised niche, timber is now at the  heart of the shift towards low-carbon, modern methods of  construction (MMC). As the industry advances, so must  the skills of the workforce. Institutions like New Model Institute for  Technology & Engineering (NMITE) and its Centre for Advanced Timber  Technology (CATT) are ensuring education stays in step – linking  sustainability, engineering, and practical craftsmanship.

The growing importance of timber skills

The UK’s sustainability education landscape is rapidly expanding.  Courses on carbon literacy, circular economy principles, and green  building standards are common, but timber remains underrepresented  in sustainability education, presenting a unique opportunity for sector  growth. Understanding how wood behaves, how engineered timber  products perform, and how supply chains link forest to fabrication is  essential for future-ready designers, engineers, and builders.

Timber-focused skills are part of the wider sustainability ecosystem  but require a deeper understanding of timber literacy and emerging  product knowledge. While sustainability courses cover principles of  embodied carbon and energy efficiency, timber-specific courses include  design detailing, moisture performance, structural systems, and offsite  manufacturing principles to develop comprehensive expertise. NMITE  plays a vital role between emerging research and trade groups seeking  courses to upskill for a more sustainable building market. As a Skills  Hub training provider for STA members, NMITE delivers sector-specific  education to help expand the workforce needed to meet the UK’s  net-zero targets.

A changing skills landscape

Timber provides both opportunities and challenges. While its  environmental benefits and performance potential are well documented,  the skills required to design, manufacture, and construct effectively with  timber are still developing across the sector. From digital modelling and  offsite fabrication to installation and lifecycle assessment, the industry  needs education pathways that are practical, accredited, and aligned with  modern sustainability goals.

As MMC adoption and the net zero agenda accelerate, education  providers and industry bodies must collaborate to close this skills gap –  ensuring the workforce is equipped not only to work confidently with timber  but also to apply sustainable thinking across all parts of construction. Building  this integrated skill set is crucial to fulfilling the ambitions outlined in the UK’s  Timber in Construction Roadmap and broader green-skills strategy.

NMITE: educators at the forefront

NMITE plays a vital role here, bridging the gap between new  research and practical applications of new building strategies in timber.  CATT in Hereford is changing how higher education supports the timber  industry. Through its Timber Technology, Engineering and Design  (Timber TED) and retrofit courses, groundbreaking timber research,  and the recent launch of a timber-focused BSc (HON) in Construction  Management, NMITE provides flexible, industry-approved training for  professionals and new entrants to the sector.

Developed in partnership with Timber Development UK (TDUK)  and Edinburgh Napier University, the Timber TED courses combine  academic rigour with hands-on learning. Each short course covers areas such as sustainability, materials science, design  principles, and construction techniques. This  industry-guided content addresses the growing  skills needs and informs the new degree  programme, ensuring students enter the  workforce prepared for the constantly evolving  landscape of sustainable construction.

NMITE’s broader ‘learning by doing’  philosophy aligns with the building industry’s  preference for action-based education  methods. Participants apply sustainable design  principles directly to real-world projects,  demonstrating either opportunities for  improvement or examples of future-focused design.

Researching the future – from forest to frame

The Building from English Woodlands research exemplifies realworld  initiatives in education. Completed in early 2025, this project  examined how underused English-grown timber species can help  meet the UK’s construction demands. By connecting forestry, supply  chains, and structural applications, the project is shifting perceptions  of homegrown timber as a valuable natural building resource, with an  example already in practice.

The Skills Hub at NMITE’s Blackfriars campus is a mass timber  building constructed from glulam beams and prefabricated panels,  providing a sustainable construction solution. The structure, already  used in CPD and degree-level teaching as a live example, features a hybrid  beam made with local materials based on recent research (English Ash  and Scottish Spruce). The hybrid design strategically uses hardwoods  to maximise strength while reducing overall resource consumption and  embodied carbon, without compromising performance.

A call for continued collaboration

For professionals seeking to improve their sustainability credentials,  timber skills education now presents a logical next step. Whether you’re  an architect exploring low-carbon materials, an engineer transitioning  to MMC, or a contractor aiming to diversify into offsite manufacture,  emerging programmes like NMITE’s Timber TED offer a pathway that  links theory with practice.

The UK’s timber future depends on collaboration between  industry, educators, and policymakers. The industry, working through  organisations like the STA, identifies training gaps in the workforce:  educators, such as NMITE, research and develop new typologies  and create the learning infrastructure and the broader sustainability  community ensures that the principles of low-carbon design support  every stage of development.

Timber-skills development is increasingly vital to the UK’s sustainable  construction strategy. It connects craftsmanship and innovation, aligns  forest management with building design, and offers practical avenues  for professionals to help achieve a net zero future. As an advocate for  continuous improvement in education, the timber-skills agenda exemplifies  what modern sustainability learning should be: hands-on, collaborative, and  rooted in real-world impact. Through the combined efforts of organisations  like NMITE, TDUK, and the industry, the UK is building not only with  timber – but with knowledge, resilience, and purpose.