In Sunderland, We Are Building Homes and Skills with a Vision for the Future

Why It Matters

By aligning skills training with a major housing project, the programme tackles the UK construction skills shortage while accelerating Sunderland’s economic revitalisation and low‑carbon building goals.

Key Takeaways

• VELUX Skills Academy opens within £10 million Hicsa centre
• Provides industry‑led training in roofing, windows, modern construction
• Students contribute to building 40 sustainable homes in Vaux
• Targets NEETs, creating direct pathways to construction jobs
• Part of Riverside Sunderland regeneration, modeled on Copenhagen’s Living Places

Pulse Analysis

The UK construction sector faces a chronic skills gap, with employers reporting shortages in trades such as roofing, glazing and sustainable building methods. Technical colleges and industry‑backed academies have become critical pipelines for talent, offering practical, employer‑driven curricula that traditional universities often lack. VELUX’s entry into this space through the Skills Academy leverages its expertise in daylight‑optimising products, positioning the company as both a training sponsor and a future supplier of high‑performance building components.

Riverside Sunderland’s regeneration plan uses the academy as a catalyst for broader urban transformation. The multimillion‑pound Hicsa facility, designed to meet low‑carbon performance standards, integrates classrooms, workshops and a live construction site where trainees build 40 homes for the Vaux development. Inspired by Copenhagen’s Living Places model, the project prioritises daylight, ventilation and modular design, demonstrating how sustainable architecture can be scaled in post‑industrial cities. Partnerships with igloo regeneration and local authorities ensure that the housing, infrastructure and skills components are tightly coupled.

The combined focus on education, sustainable construction and community building creates a replicable blueprint for other UK cities confronting similar regeneration challenges. By converting NEETs into skilled tradespeople, the programme not only fills immediate labour shortages but also anchors long‑term economic resilience, reducing reliance on external contractors. As the homes enter the market, they will showcase the commercial viability of low‑carbon design, encouraging further private investment and reinforcing Sunderland’s reputation as a forward‑looking, skills‑rich hub.