Skills Crisis in the Construction Industry

Currently, there is a serious shortage of trained workers in certain sectors of the construction industry that is threatening to derail the industry’s recovery from a record low period in April 2015.

Recovery from the General Election

The temporary low the industry experienced in April was attributed by economists to the upcoming election, which saw a halt in constructions amongst fears of a Labour-led coalition that could have resulted in higher property taxes and, therefore, a bigger financial burden on all.

This industry halt resulted in a low industry forecast, although UK building firms were pleased to see that their industry bounced back much quicker than expected. With the post-election catch up indicating a good year for the sector, the new issue of a lack of skilled workers can slow the industry down again as companies are failing to hire enough staff to cover their workloads.

The Sectors Affected

In particular, it is a shortage of bricklayers, carpenters and site managers that is most affecting the industry’s recovery. A survey of small and medium sized firms conducted by The Federation of Master Builders showed that even though employment need was growing and wages were increasing, over half of the 400 companies surveyed were struggling to recruit bricklayers.

Reports are showing that workloads within the industry are likely to increase dramatically over the next few months as the shortage of skilled workers continues.

Plans to Kickstart Training Schemes

In the Construction Industry Summit last month, government officials and training organisations addressed the increasing skills crisis and set about remedying the problem. The CEO of the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB), Adrian Belton, outlined a 10-year plan to transform the industry; a comprehensive list of the most in-demand skills is going to be drawn up to tailor training to suit the employers’ needs.

By working with the Government to identify where the urgent needs lie and creating career paths rather than jobs, it is hoped that it will draw talented workers to the industry. The CITB has altered its funding to allow more access to cash for funding training schemes and introducing industry-led career portals to attract fresh talent, as well as holding on to the old.

Belton also placed great emphasis on the important role apprenticeships will play in stabilising the industry, aiming to make them more productive within the sector. There is also going to be new graduate schemes to pull more varied candidates into the sector.
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