CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY PLANS TO PLUG SKILLS SHORTAGE

The UK construction industry is looking for new talent. There is a call for the industry to work together to highlight the opportunities available, encourage fresh people into the industry and implement relevant training to plug the skills gaps. We take a look at the issues and opportunities for the Liverpool City Region construction industry.

The UK construction industry has a first class reputation globally.

You only have to look at developments across the Liverpool City Region to understand why. The industry is packed full of engineering capability and sustainable solutions for the built environment. The world looks to us to learn the trade. However, the UK perception of the built environment does not often match the global perception. Attracting new people into the industry is difficult. Perhaps it’s the old stereotype of whistle-blowing builder or the thought of wet muddy sites that puts people of entertaining a career in construction. However, it’s a fantastic sector to work in that promises a satisfying career. You may not know that it is a key sector that drives UK economic growth. It contributes around 8% of the UK wealth and employs over 10% of our workforce. 

There is a need for houses, hospital and infrastructure across the UK to continue to drive economic growth and house the UK population to capitalise on local jobs.

This means the sector needs fresh talent and it’s struggling currently to attract it. Nick Roberts, Chief Executive of Travis Perkins and industry sponsor for the Construction Leadership Council’s People and Skills Network. He is working to tackle the challenges the industry faces in relation to recruitment and training of tomorrow’s construction professionals.

“As the Construction Leadership Council’s industry sponsor for people and skills, I was pleased to attend the government’s recent Skills for Growth conference to discuss how we could develop a workforce fit for the future. This event was part of the government’s drive to connect with and engage businesses on the key issues we face collectively,” he reveals. 

“As it stands, the construction and built environment attracts more than 170,000 people to work in it every year, but the Construction Industry Training Board’s Construction Skills Network estimates that an additional 225,000 workers will be needed by 2027 to meet the projected demand. As well as needing more workers, we also need to ensure that those workers possess the right skills to deliver a modern, net-zero built environment, which is in itself a complex challenge. Despite its deep and far-reaching importance to the UK economy, UK construction productivity has not kept pace with other industries, and we desperately need to upskill both existing and future generations of workers,” he confirms.

So what is needed to tackle the skills gap?

The secret is thought to lie in a collaborative effort to align priorities across the industry that will build a skilled workforce. This includes developing future skills, expanding routes into the construction sector and transforming the culture of the industry. It forms part of a plan led by The Construction Leadership Council (CLC).

The plan includes new types of skill that will support the transformation of the industry to enable the delivery of the UK’s net-zero ambitions. The plan also aims to increase apprenticeship starts by a further 5 per cent.

There will also be an initiative to attract people to the industry as early as possible. 600 Construction ‘Ambassador presentations’ in schools and 28,000 taster sessions are planned. “I want all teachers, parents, caregivers and students to think of the construction industry as a place where creative, interesting, fulfilling and well-paid careers can be built for all, wherever you have started in life,” explains Nick. 

Nick is calling on employers across the sector to play their part. He believes a good start is for employers to use 100% of their apprenticeship levy. He recognises that SMEs form the backbone of the industry, and to close the significant skills gap, SMEs must have every opportunity to train and retrain their workers. “It means that collaboration between businesses is key. This includes working together, through organisations such as the CLC, to identify where the gaps in the workforce are and to put in place actions to fill them. The CLC Skills Plan is the first step in achieving this,” concludes Nick.

It’s time to take a closer look at the construction industry with fresh eyes. There are a vast array of roles and opportunities in the sector, so it’s time to explore which ones are for you.