Clearview Midlands November 2013 - Issue 144 | Page 93
recruitmentnews
CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY BOOM COULD
BE STRANGLED BY LACK OF SKILLED LABOUR
Antony Rowe, managing
director of Barker Ross
Recruitment, talks about his
experience of the recruitment
market in construction and
building so far this year:
“The construction industry
is improving and I have no
hesitation in saying that the
sector is back on track.
‘I have no hesitation
in saying that
the sector is
back on track’
“As a recruiter, it is great to
see the job market improving
compared to the past few years,
but we may now be faced with
a new problem, a lack of skilled
labour. We have to work harder
than ever to fill client’s vacancies
as skilled construction workers
have left the industry or retired
and, because of the downturn, the
new generation haven’t entered
the sector.
“We have started to see more
permanent positions becoming
available, which is another sign
of confidence returning, as clients
are keen to secure the best people
for the long term. We are starting
to also see the demand for highly
skilled labour increasing for
both the civil engineering and
construction sectors.
“However, seven years of low
levels of activity has driven people
to seek jobs outside the industry
and also not encouraged young
people to train in the trades
we need. In a recent survey of
leading construction companies
by industry analysts Glenigan, it
emerged that the key fear in the
construction industry was the
shortage of skilled staff, which
80 per cent of the respondents
identified. We need to collectively
make sure the industry doesn’t
suffer and that these shortages
don’t slow projects and push up
costs.
“I think we need to make
construction a first choice to
young people and inspire people
who have left the sector to
return. As specialist recruiters we
are playing our part by making
sure people know about the
opportunities available and that
it’s not just temporary work, but
permanent positions as companies
are planning for the future.
Confidence alone will reduce
people’s nervousness about the
industry and keep the ‘pipeline’
of talent coming through. There
are more training schemes and
opportunities for people to
enter the industry and develop
worthwhile careers.”
www.clearview-uk.com
I AM LOOKING FOR A CAREER! CAN YOU HELP?
Sara Wang
I have experience of working
in the UK door hardware
manufacturing industry. My most
recent position was working for
an international manufacturer
in London, as UK Project
Coordinator. This required
extensive interaction with the
London team, as well as with
the purchasing department in
Beijing, and external customers
in the UK.
One of my major responsibilities
was arranging for the testing of
our product and communicating
To read more, visit www.clearview-uk.com
the results to external customers
as well as the company as a
whole; this commonly took the
form of progress reports and oral
presentations.
‘Solid knowledge’
This experience demonstrates
my excellent communication skills
enabling me to liaise with both the
business team and the technical
team, bringing them together to
achieve the organisation’s goals. I
also have a very solid knowledge
of products (especially locks
and handles), British standards,
European standards and the testing
process. I have com ????????)5M?????=???????????A???????(??????????????????????????)????????????????Q???????????)$?????????????????????????)?????????????????????????????)?????????????????51??!????)$????????????????????????????)???????(????????????$)??????????????????????()9=X?????((??((