The Construction Employers Federation has partnered with the Institute of Directors Northern Ireland to give members access to leadership, governance and board effectiveness training, a move aimed at building senior management depth as demand for leadership and delivery roles grows.

The Construction Employers Federation, the trade body for construction employers in Northern Ireland, is led by Chief Executive Mark Spence.

The Institute of Directors Northern Ireland, the regional branch of the professional body for company directors, is chaired by John Hansen.

CITB NI, the Northern Ireland construction industry training board, is a non-departmental public body that funds industry training through grants and levy income.

Programmes include the Certificate and Diploma in Company Direction, Finance for Non-Finance Directors, Leadership for Directors, and Strategy for Directors, aimed at directors, owners and senior managers.

CEF Chief Executive Mark Spence said strong leadership is fundamental to the industry’s future and that CITB NI funding lets eligible firms invest in leaders, while IoD Northern Ireland Chair John Hansen said the partnership connects the IoD with construction sector leaders.

The timing reflects demand: Northern Ireland construction is forecast to need an additional 5,200 workers between 2026 and 2030, with its workforce reaching 73,100 and demand strongest in leadership, coordination and delivery roles.

CITB NI has enhanced its 2026/27 grants scheme to a £2.5m (€2.9m) budget, so funded leadership training sits within a wider push to subsidise skills rather than leaving firms to fund management development alone.

Leadership is the less visible side of that gap: an earlier CEF member survey found 80% of respondents had experienced a skilled labour shortage in the past 12 months, which puts pressure on managers who must retain, plan and deploy scarce labour.

For the sector, partnerships that pair professional governance training with CITB NI subsidy lower the cost of developing senior managers, which becomes more valuable as growth in private non-housing work, forecast at 5.1% a year, adds complexity to the projects they lead.

Source: Belfast News Letter / AgendaNI / Northern Builder