Dong, KangxingMoshood, Taofeeq2026-06-172026-06-172026-05-20Buildings, ISSN: 2075-5309 (Print); 2075-5309 (Online), MDPI AG, 16(10), 2024-2024. doi: 10.3390/buildings161020242075-53092075-5309http://hdl.handle.net/10292/21427The transition toward Industry 5.0 in sustainable construction demands a radical reconceptualisation of workforce development, moving beyond purely technical training to embrace human-centricity, digitalisation, green competencies, and socio-cognitive resilience. Traditional vocational and higher education systems have largely failed to bridge the gap between emerging construction industry demands and the competencies possessed by current and future professionals. This systematic review investigates how Learning Factories’ 5.0 immersive, experiential, and technology-rich educational environments can address these gaps in sustainable construction contexts. Drawing on a synthesis of 71 peer-reviewed publications spanning 2015–2026 and supplemented by targeted construction-domain literature, this study pursues three objectives: (1) identifying core competencies for Industry 5.0 readiness in sustainable construction, (2) examining how Learning Factories 5.0 support the development of these competencies, and (3) proposing a competency-driven framework for integrating Learning Factories 5.0 into sustainable construction education and training. Seven transdisciplinary competency clusters are identified—Attitude toward Digitalisation, Technical–Green Proficiency, Information and Data Literacy, Digital Security, Collaborative Systems Thinking, Adaptive Problem-Solving, and Reflective Sustainability Practice—and a theoretically derived, eight-phase Construction Learning Factory 5.0 (CLF5.0) Framework is proposed as a conceptual architecture for future empirical development and institutional adaptation. The framework is presented as a generative starting point rather than a prescriptive model, and its effectiveness in diverse construction education contexts requires empirical validation through future implementation studies. Findings reveal that while Learning Factories offer transformative potential, critical barriers remain in terms of economic feasibility, faculty development, industry–academia alignment, and empirical validation. This paper contributes a construction-specific competency architecture and implementation pathway to support the industry’s transition toward a sustainable, human-centric, and Industry 5.0-aligned future.© 2026 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license.https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/33 Built Environment and Design3302 Building4 Quality Education9 Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure1201 Architecture1202 Building1203 Design Practice and Management3301 Architecture4005 Civil engineeringLearning Factories 5.0Industry 5.0sustainable constructionworkforce developmentcompetency frameworkgreen skillsdigital transformationhuman-centric educationJournal ArticleOpenAccess10.3390/buildings16102024