Equans has secured £193,000 from the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) to help tackle the £21bn lost each year to poor workmanship in the UK construction sector.
The funding will support a new digital learning programme, developed with Northumberland tech firm Tribuco, that aims to improve build quality and close the skills gap.
The programme will provide short learning resources, including videos, animations and guides, for use on site or in training.
These resources will be available on the Tribuco app and shared for free via the Supply Chain Sustainability School and the Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB) Academy.
Equans carried out research across its developments, which found that current tools were mainly focused on fixing problems after they happened, rather than training workers to prevent them.
Site teams on pilot projects used targeted learning materials, which led to improved quality scores.
The app content will cover areas such as retrofit, insulation, cladding, roofing and building repairs, with a focus on processes that support net zero goals.
The platform will help contractors and supply chain companies show the competence of their workforce, meeting the requirements of the Building Safety Act and new regulations.
Laura Wilson, learning and development manager at Equans UK & Ireland, said: “This mobile-first approach transforms how we build competence across our workforce, getting new workers site-ready faster while keeping experienced teams at the top of their game.
“By delivering free, micro-video guides that aligns with national policy priorities, the initiative is designed to benefit not just participating firms but the wider construction workforce – helping to raise standards, reduce rework, and accelerate housing delivery in a compliant and sustainable way.”
Ivan Carr, CEO at Tribuco, said: “As someone who has worked in construction for over thirty-five years, I know how hard it is to hit quality and productivity targets consistently.
“Most businesses are still operating with outdated quality assurance frameworks that weren’t designed for today’s workforce.
“These antiquated systems lead to many businesses struggling with margin erosion, jumping from one reactive fix to another.”
Carr added: “The CITB Industry Impact Fund is ideally suited for initiatives like this because it’s designed to benefit not just participating firms, but the wider construction workforce – helping to raise standards and accelerate productivity in a compliant and sustainable way.”
The CIOB will host the new materials on its Academy platform and promote them to its members.
Adrian Montague, director of the CIOB Academy, said: “Maintaining quality and productivity has always been a challenge and this innovative approach to these issues will be most welcome.
“The learning materials proposed in this initiative will be of great value to the CIOB membership, and we have great confidence in the standards that will be delivered.”
Ian Heptonstall, school director at Supply Chain Sustainability School, said: “Productivity and efficiency are key drivers of delivering more sustainable building and construction projects.
“The School has pioneered online learning in our industry and we are delighted to support this project and to help the learning reach the 50,000 learners that the School upskills each year.
“As Partner to the School, Equans is pushing forward the sustainability and productivity agenda with this site-based, bite sized learning resources.”
