Overview
The UK has set out a bold infrastructure agenda. From clean energy and nuclear expansion to transport renewal, defence capability and climate resilience, the scale of ambition is significant.
But ambition alone will not deliver the infrastructure the country needs. Delivery will depend on whether we can build, retain and deploy the right technical capability at the pace required.
For too long, the skills shortage has been framed primarily as a recruitment issue. It is bigger than that. It is now a strategic delivery risk. Without enough engineers, scientists, technical specialists and project leaders, the UK will struggle to modernise the grid, renew ageing assets, deliver major programmes safely and strengthen national resilience. The challenge is made more complex because the sectors central to national growth are increasingly competing for many of the same people.
Different markets, the same skills challenge
What makes the current skills challenge so acute is that it cuts across the whole infrastructure economy. Energy, nuclear, transport and defence may be distinct markets, but they rely on overlapping pools of civil engineers, electrical engineers, systems specialists, project managers and technical leaders. Each sector is critical in its own right; together, they are competing for a finite and highly specialised workforce.
The expertise needed to modernise the grid is also required to support nuclear revival, renew transport networks, deliver major rail and road programmes, and strengthen national defence capability. The Skills England’s 2026 report underlines this point, identifying professionals such as civil engineers, electrical engineers and engineering technicians as priority occupations across multiple sectors. National Grid has also highlighted the workforce demand required for the net zero energy transition, while the nuclear sector is preparing for significant growth in civil and defence capability.
Transport faces the same pressures. Much of the UK’s road and rail network is ageing and needs investment in maintenance, renewal and climate adaptation. Major transformation programmes also require people who can consult, design, deliver, and manage complex infrastructure safely and efficiently. This all creates a more intensely competitive environment for talent.
Organisations are not only trying to attract people into their own sector. But also competing with other nationally critical industries for many of the same skills and expertise. The question is not simply how individual organisations can win the competition for scarce people. It is how industry, government and educators can collectively increase the supply of skilled people while making better use of the expertise already available.
Mind the gap – building and retaining expertise
Attracting new talent matters, but so does retaining the knowledge already within the organisation and by extension, the industry. Infrastructure delivery often depends on deep technical expertise developed over many years. In some areas, it can take approximately 10 to 15 years to build the experience needed to make complex engineering decisions with a great deal of confidence. This creates a real risk as experienced engineers, specialists and technical leaders move towards retirement. If their knowledge is not captured and shared, the industry does not just lose people; it loses judgement, context and lessons learned over decades. Simply put, when experienced engineers walk out of the door, so does decades of valuable knowledge.
Mentoring therefore needs to become a more deliberate part of workforce planning. Experienced professionals should be supported to pass on knowledge through structured mentoring, technical working groups, project reviews and practical coaching. This is about protecting institutional knowledge that is critical to safe and effective infrastructure delivery.
There is also a case for more flexible approaches to later-stage careers. Some people may not want to continue in full-time delivery roles, but they may still want to contribute through advisory positions, assurance, training or part-time technical leadership. A formalised approach for softer landing into retirement could also help the industry retain expertise for longer.
Career clarity is key to building more resilient workforces
If the industries want to attract and retain the best talent, they also need to offer clearer career pathways. Professional development should not feel complicated, out of reach, or inconsistent. Routes to charterships, technical accreditations and leadership development need to be easily accessible and strongly promoted internally. This is particularly important in design, consulting and engineering, where people often work across complex projects and multiple disciplines. Initiatives such as Amey’s accredited Chartered Management Consultant Award (ChMC) programme provide consultants with a clear pathway to professional recognition while supporting the development of leadership and consulting expertise.
The future workforce will need strong technical foundations as well as the flexibility to move between sectors, understand different systems, work with data and collaborate across specialisms. Training people across multiple functions and disciplines can create more resilient teams and give individuals broader career options. For instance, training rail engineers to be able to work on highways projects and vice-versa can help to strengthen an organisations agility in both markets.
Widening access to infrastructure careers
Organisations today across multiple sectors can no longer just rely on traditional recruitment pipelines for hiring talent. For instance, university graduates are important, but they are not the only answer. Apprenticeships, STEM initiatives, workforce returner programmes, career changers and people from adjacent sectors all need to be part of the solution. Amey’s Rail Engineering degree apprenticeship reflects this approach. The first-of-its-kind programme offers aspiring rail engineers a chance to gain both a university degree and hands-on experience while working on nationally significant infrastructure projects.
Industries also need to better showcase the opportunities a career in infrastructure can offer. Infrastructure is about far more than hard hats. It offers the opportunity to work on everything from climate resilience and Artificial Intelligence (AI) to systems integration and social value, shaping the communities of the future. Presenting that breadth more clearly will help attract people who may not otherwise see themselves in the sector.
Returners are another important part of the equation. People who have taken time out of the workplace, including for caring responsibilities or to raise children, can bring valuable experience back into the sector. But they may need practical support, refreshed training and flexible working arrangements to re-enter technical roles. Recognising this, Amey launched ReStart, a structured 12-week paid placement programme designed to help experienced STEM professionals restart their careers or transfer their skills into engineering, environmental and digital roles, creating another pathway into the sector for skilled talent.
Artificial Intelligence will amplify expertise, not replace it
Digital tools and AI will play an important role in improving productivity. The greatest opportunity lies in using these tools to extend human capability, helping teams interpret complex information, identify risks earlier and make better-informed decisions. However, AI cannot close the skills gap on its own. Technology can process information and accelerate decisions, but infrastructure still depends on human judgement, professional accountability and experience, especially where safety, risk and communities are at stake. The priority, therefore, is to build a digitally enabled workforce where AI extends human capability and expertise remains firmly in control.
The UK’s infrastructure ambitions must be matched by capability: attracting new talent, retaining experienced specialists, supporting workforce returners, embracing digital tools and creating more flexible careers. The future of infrastructure will not be delivered by projects alone. It will be delivered by people. The sooner skills are treated as a strategic national capability, the better placed the nation will be to deliver.